UN Report Finds Widespread War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity in Sudan

A new report by the United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan has delivered a stark warning about the escalating atrocities committed in the country’s ongoing conflict. Titled “A War of Atrocities,” the report concludes that both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are deliberately targeting civilians, committing war crimes on a massive scale, and — in the case of the RSF — acts that amount to crimes against humanity, including persecution and extermination.

Civilians at the Center of Atrocities

The Fact-Finding Mission, mandated by the UN Human Rights Council, found that both SAF and RSF forces have engaged in deliberate attacks on civilians, widespread destruction of infrastructure, and systematic obstruction of humanitarian aid.

“Our findings leave no room for doubt: civilians are paying the highest price in this war,” said Mohamed Chande Othman, Chair of the Mission. “These are not accidental tragedies but deliberate strategies amounting to war crimes.”

The report details large-scale killings, summary executions, arbitrary detention, torture, and inhuman treatment in detention facilities, where food, sanitation, and medical care are routinely denied.

Ethnic Persecution and Massacres

The report describes targeted campaigns against non-Arab communities, particularly in El Fasher and surrounding areas. RSF and allied militias have carried out massacres of Zaghawa, Fur, Masalit, and Tunjur civilians.

• In Zamzam camp in April 2025, between 300 and 1,500 civilians, mostly women and children, were massacred.

• In Gezira, SAF and allied forces targeted the Kanabi community after retaking the town in January, killing dozens and forcing most residents to flee.

These atrocities, the Mission said, were aimed at forcibly displacing populations, destroying livelihoods, and dismantling communities based on ethnicity and perceived political affiliation.

Starvation as a Weapon of War

The RSF was found to have systematically deprived civilians of food, water, medicine, and relief supplies, deliberately using starvation as a method of warfare. Civilians were prevented from accessing objects indispensable to their survival, constituting what the report described as the crime against humanity of extermination.

As a result of these strategies, 12.1 million people are now displaced, and more than half of Sudan’s population faces acute food insecurity. In many regions, only one in four health facilities remains functional.

Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

The report highlights appalling patterns of sexual violence, particularly by RSF fighters:

• Women and girls from non-Arab communities, some as young as 12 years old, were subjected to rape, gang rape, sexual slavery, and forced marriage.

• Survivors described RSF detention centers as “slaughterhouses” where torture and sexual violence were rampant.

• SAF forces and allied militias were also implicated in sexualized torture and abuse of detainees.

These crimes, the report concluded, were systematic and widespread, intended to terrorize communities and destroy social cohesion.

Attacks on Aid and Humanitarian Workers

Between April 2023 and April 2025, more than 84 humanitarian workers were killed, while others were detained or attacked during aid convoys. Relief efforts have been obstructed, worsening Sudan’s hunger emergency, one of the gravest in the world today.

The Failure of Domestic Justice

The Fact-Finding Mission stressed that Sudan’s judicial and political institutions remain unwilling and unable to carry out credible investigations. Instead, authorities perpetuate impunity through selective justice, immunities, and amnesties for perpetrators.

“Behind every documented story is a shattered family, a displaced community, a survivor of unimaginable violence,” said Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, an expert member of the Mission. “Victims deserve justice and reparations — not continued denial.”

Path Toward Accountability

The Mission called for urgent and coordinated international action:

• Enforce the arms embargo and stop the flow of weapons to warring parties.

• Support the International Criminal Court (ICC) in investigating atrocities.

• Establish an independent judicial mechanism for Sudan to prosecute perpetrators.

• Use universal jurisdiction to hold individuals accountable abroad.

• Impose targeted sanctions against those orchestrating war crimes and crimes against humanity.

“Every day of inaction leaves the Sudanese people under attack — their lives, communities, and survival at risk,” said Mona Rishmawi, another expert member. “Accountability is not optional; it is a legal and moral imperative.”

A Humanitarian and Moral Imperative

The Mission emphasized that Sudan is enduring one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with hunger, displacement, and violence reaching catastrophic levels.

“Sudan is living through one of the gravest hunger emergencies in the world, with its population facing war crimes, persecution, and extermination,” Othman warned. “The international community has the tools to act. Failure to do so would betray not only the Sudanese people but the very foundations of international law.”