Amnesty Report Unveils Ethnic Cleansing and Crimes in Sudan's Darfur
A devastating new report by Amnesty International has confirmed that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are committing ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity in Sudan's North Darfur. As the conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) intensifies, the humanitarian catastrophe in El Fasher reaches unprecedented levels of brutality.
Systematic Attacks and Ethnic Cleansing in El Fasher
The Amnesty International report, titled ‘City Under Siege, Children Under Fire,’ provides a harrowing account of the RSF's campaign to seize El Fasher, the last major stronghold of the SAF. Based on an eight-month investigation involving 247 interviews—including 208 survivors—and verified satellite imagery, the findings are damning. The RSF has systematically targeted non-Arab ethnic groups, specifically the Zaghawa communities, through murder, forcible transfer, and the destruction of villages.
Between December 2024 and March 2025, the RSF conducted a pattern of destruction in the Abu Zerega area that Amnesty concludes is consistent with ethnic cleansing. The report highlights the use of the derogatory slur ‘falangay’—a term associated with slavery—by RSF fighters while attacking civilians, indicating a clear intent of persecution on ethnic grounds.
A Humanitarian Siege and Human Rights Violations
The siege of El Fasher, which lasted from May 2024 to October 2025, has been characterized by extreme deprivation and violence. The RSF encircled the city with a 57-km network of earthen berms, effectively trapping civilians and blocking humanitarian aid. As famine gripped the region, residents were forced to survive on ambaz, a peanut oil by-product typically reserved for animal feed.
Beyond starvation, the report documents widespread sexual violence, including rape and sexual slavery, as well as the unlawful detention of civilians. Tragically, the violence has extended to medical facilities; witnesses at the Saudi Maternity Hospital reported seeing RSF fighters kill scores of people within the hospital premises. Furthermore, the RSF has been accused of recruiting child soldiers and using boys in direct violation of international law.
Accountability and International Complicity
Amnesty International has specifically named three RSF commanders allegedly responsible for these atrocities: Maj. Gen. Gedo Hamdan Ahmed Mohamed (‘Abu Shouk’), Lt. Col. Abbas Khater Bakhit, and commander Al-Fateh Abdullah Idris (‘Abu Lulu’).
A critical aspect of the report is its call for international accountability. Amnesty has urged the global community to cease all arms supplies to the warring parties and has specifically pointed toward the United Arab Emirates (UAE), describing it as the RSF’s principal foreign backer. The report demands that international partners act to enforce the UN arms embargo to prevent further fueling of the conflict.
What It Means for India
The escalating crisis in Sudan presents significant strategic and humanitarian implications for New Delhi:
- Regional Stability and Migration: Sudan’s instability has the potential to trigger mass displacement and migration flows that could affect the Red Sea corridor, a vital maritime route for India’s energy security and trade with Europe.
- Diplomatic Balancing Act: As India maintains strong ties with various African nations and engages with Middle Eastern powers, the allegations of foreign backing for the RSF necessitate a cautious, multilateral approach in international forums like the UN to maintain India's stance on sovereignty and human rights.
- Humanitarian Leadership: The scale of the famine and ethnic violence offers an opportunity for India to leverage its "Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief" (HADR) capabilities, reinforcing its role as a responsible global actor and a voice for the Global South in addressing African crises.