GNV News – February 25, 2026

On February 19, 2026, the UN Human Rights Council’s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan reported that a series of acts carried out in the city of El Fasher in Sudan’s Darfur region in October 2025 bears the defining characteristics of genocide (mass killing). Since the conflict erupted in April 2023, mass killings of civilians, sexual violence, and other related acts of violence in Sudan have had a devastating impact on the humanitarian situation in the region. The perpetrators of the recent violence in El Fasher have been reported to be the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group based in Darfur. The RSF has been engaged in ongoing fighting with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and both parties have been condemned by the UN and human rights monitoring groups for violations of international humanitarian law, including indiscriminate attacks on civilians and the recruitment of child soldiers.

Since the start of the conflict, the RSF has controlled much of the Darfur region. El Fasher was the last major SAF stronghold in North Darfur, but it had been under RSF siege for 18 months. RSF forces encircled the city, cutting off food, water, and humanitarian aid to civilians. They also built earthen berms around the city, and civilians attempting to flee were reportedly systematically killed. Evidence has also been presented suggesting that atrocities were committed against people based on their ethnic affiliation. In October 2025, RSF forces took control of the city and have maintained their grip since then. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been accused of providing military support to the RSF, but the UAE has denied these allegations.

According to a satellite imagery analysis conducted in October 2025 by the Humanitarian Research Lab at the Yale School of Public Health, hundreds of bodies and body disposal sites were identified in and around El Fasher following the RSF takeover. There were signs that these bodies had been removed and burned, suggesting that the perpetrators may have tried to destroy evidence of the atrocities. The analysis also indicated that mass killings continued as civilians attempted to flee the area, and that RSF soldiers at times went house to house killing people. Infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, and homes was also destroyed by the RSF.

El Fasher is currently under RSF occupation, and while the exact death toll remains unknown, it is estimated that more than 100,000 people are trapped in the city. The RSF is expanding its operations to other cities and has reportedly launched a ground offensive in the neighboring Kordofan region. Reports indicate that peace talks have so far yielded no tangible results.

Learn more about the RSF takeover of Darfur → “Sudan: RSF takes control of all states in the Darfur region”

Learn more about the conflict in Sudan → “The Course of the Conflict in Sudan”

People who fled El Fasher in 2008 to escape the conflict at that time (Photo: United Nations Photo / Flickr [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0])