Amnesty International Report: Sudan's RSF Committed Ethnic Cleansing in El-Fasher
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Neutral Summary
Amnesty International published a report on July 1, 2026, alleging that Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing during their campaign to seize El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, between 2024 and 2025. The report, based on interviews with 246–247 victims and witnesses and analysis of 89 open-source videos and satellite imagery, documents alleged murder, forcible transfer, imprisonment, torture, rape, sexual slavery, enslavement, extermination, and persecution. Amnesty says the RSF systematically attacked settlements predominantly inhabited by the Zaghawa ethnic group, with fighters reportedly using ethnic slurs and burning homes long after residents had fled — conduct Amnesty characterizes as consistent with ethnic cleansing and suggesting intent to render areas uninhabitable. During the RSF's final offensive on El-Fasher in October 2025, Amnesty alleges hundreds of civilians were executed and many others tortured or detained while attempting to flee. The report states that evidence gathered 'may be relevant to the crime of genocide,' though no formal genocide determination is made. The RSF has not responded to this specific report but has previously denied similar accusations. A separate UN independent fact-finding mission concluded in February 2026 that the 2025 assault on El-Fasher bore the 'hallmarks of genocide.' Sudan has been engaged in a civil war between the army and the RSF since April 2023, which the UN says has killed tens of thousands and displaced nearly 14 million people; both sides have been accused of atrocities. Concurrently, the UN Human Rights Council held an emergency debate over El-Obeid in North Kordofan, where fears of an imminent RSF assault were mounting, and the UN relief chief warned against El-Obeid becoming 'another El-Fasher.' A medical group separately accused the RSF of holding 20 doctors in El-Fasher, with 25 medical workers killed in North Darfur since April 2023.
China2Turkey2Saudi Arabia2UK2India1Qatar1Narratives by Country
China
2 sourcesChina's two outlets take markedly different approaches. SCMP briefly reports the Amnesty findings in a neutral, factual manner, while CGTN — the official state broadcaster — entirely sidesteps the Amnesty accountability story and instead covers the UN humanitarian warning about El-Obeid. This divergence reflects the difference between SCMP's editorially independent stance and CGTN's official framing, which shifts the lens from RSF culpability to a broader humanitarian emergency narrative without attributing blame.
China
SCMP reports the Amnesty allegations factually and concisely, noting the crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing claims and referencing the UN war death toll. It references the UN fact-finding mission's genocide hallmarks finding but provides limited additional detail.
Brief neutral relay of Amnesty's allegations within the broader war context
China
CGTN does not cover the Amnesty report at all. Instead, it focuses exclusively on the UN relief chief's warning about the escalating situation in North Kordofan's El-Obeid, framing the story around the humanitarian emergency and UN calls for civilian protection, with a reference to El-Fasher as a precedent to be avoided.
UN humanitarian alarm over El-Obeid as the primary story, with El-Fasher treated as cautionary precedent rather than subject of accountability
"I am again sounding the alarm on the escalating violence and rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Sudan's North Kordofan region. We cannot allow El Obeid to become another El Fasher — Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General"
Turkey
2 sourcesTurkey's two outlets also diverge. Daily Sabah briefly acknowledges the Amnesty findings of war crimes and ethnic cleansing, while Anadolu Agency — the state news agency — focuses on the separate story of RSF detention of medical workers, avoiding the broader ethnic cleansing and genocide-related findings. Together, Turkish media acknowledge RSF wrongdoing but do not engage deeply with the accountability or genocide dimensions of the Amnesty report.
Turkey
Daily Sabah, a Turkish pro-government outlet, publishes a brief report confirming the Amnesty findings of war crimes and ethnic cleansing by the RSF in El-Fasher. Coverage is concise with limited elaboration beyond the core allegation.
Concise confirmation of Amnesty's war crimes and ethnic cleansing findings
Turkey
Anadolu Agency, Turkey's official news agency, focuses on a distinct but related story: a medical group's accusation that the RSF is holding 20 doctors captive in El-Fasher and that 25 medical workers have been killed in North Darfur since April 2023. It does not report on the Amnesty ethnic cleansing findings directly.
RSF targeting of medical personnel as a distinct human rights and humanitarian concern
Saudi Arabia
2 sourcesBoth Saudi outlets — Arab News in English and Okaz in Arabic — provide detailed and substantively similar coverage of the Amnesty report, highlighting the Zaghawa targeting, violence against children, home burning as ethnic cleansing evidence, command responsibility, and the possible genocide relevance. Saudi coverage stands out for noting the concurrent UN Human Rights Council debate on El-Obeid and Amnesty's call for an international protection force, suggesting an interest in multilateral and institutional responses. There is strong internal alignment between the two sources.
Saudi Arabia
Okaz, a Saudi pro-government outlet publishing in Arabic, covers the Amnesty report in considerable detail, including the Zaghawa targeting, violence against children, the burning of homes, the October 2025 executions, and the possible relevance to genocide. It also notes the simultaneous UN Human Rights Council emergency session on El-Obeid and quotes Amnesty chief Agnes Callamard.
Thorough reporting of Amnesty findings with attention to command responsibility and the genocide question
"وصمة عار في ضمير الإنسانية (A stain on the conscience of humanity) — Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International"
Saudi Arabia
Arab News provides one of the most detailed English-language reports, covering the Zaghawa targeting, violence against children, the burning of homes, command responsibility, the possible genocide relevance, and Amnesty's call for a ceasefire and international force. It also flags the concurrent UN Human Rights Council debate on El-Obeid.
Comprehensive relay of Amnesty findings with emphasis on command responsibility and the genocide question
"It is a stain on the conscience of humanity — Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International"
UK
2 sourcesUK sources BBC and The Guardian both frame the Amnesty findings as evidence of systematic RSF atrocities, but with differing depth. BBC provides the richest detail, including survivor testimonies, ethnic dimensions of targeting, satellite evidence, and RSF denial, while The Guardian offers a shorter but similarly condemnatory framing. Both treat the crimes as deliberate and systematic rather than incidental. UK coverage is the most victim-centered and evidence-rich overall.
UK
The Guardian frames the Amnesty report as documenting a systematic campaign against civilians, emphasizing the breadth of crimes including murder, torture, rape, and enslavement. It presents the findings as part of an organized, deliberate pattern of violence by the RSF.
Systematic, deliberate RSF campaign against civilians constituting crimes against humanity
UK
BBC provides the most detailed coverage among sources, including survivor testimonies, satellite imagery analysis, ethnic dimensions of targeting (non-Arab communities by Arab RSF fighters using ethnic slurs), the specific UN figure of 6,000 killed in El-Fasher, the RSF's denial of previous accusations, and the broader civil war context. It also notes the RSF's strategic pivot to Darfur after losing Khartoum.
Detailed documentation of RSF atrocities with ethnic targeting, survivor accounts, and command context
"They tied me up and beat me with sticks and the back of an AK-47. Then one of them approached on a camel and… just shot me in the leg — 17-year-old survivor attacked in Abu Zerega"
India
India
The Hindu provides a brief, factual report on the Amnesty allegations, noting the RSF committed ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity in El-Fasher and referencing the broader war context per UN figures. The coverage is minimal in detail.
Straightforward factual relay of Amnesty's allegations with minimal elaboration
Qatar
Qatar
Al Jazeera covers the Amnesty report directly, detailing the full range of alleged crimes including murder, torture, rape, sexual slavery, and enslavement. It also contextualizes the report within the broader strategic battle for el-Obeid, warning of a potential humanitarian catastrophe there, and highlights the targeting of the Zaghawa ethnic group and the scale of child displacement.
Amnesty findings as part of a broader, escalating regional humanitarian crisis extending to el-Obeid
"Hundreds of thousands of children have been displaced, many of them repeatedly risking death and injury during attacks or while fleeing."
What's Being Silenced
- RSF fighters targeted victims based on ethnic identity, using ethnic slurs translated as 'slave' or 'servant' against non-Arab communities, with Arab militias having a long history of violence against Black African groups in Darfur (Mentioned by: BBC)
- The RSF has denied previous accusations of this nature (no comment on this specific Amnesty report) (Mentioned by: BBC)
- Amnesty reviewed 89 open-source videos and conducted extensive satellite imagery analysis of North Darfur as part of its evidentiary basis (Mentioned by: BBC)
- The RSF is accused of holding 20 doctors captive in El-Fasher, and 25 medical workers have been killed in North Darfur since the war began, according to the Sudan Doctors Network (Mentioned by: Anadolu Agency)
- RSF fighters targeted victims based on ethnic identity, using ethnic slurs translated as 'slave' or 'servant' against non-Arab communities, with Arab militias having a long history of violence against Black African groups in Darfur (Mentioned by: BBC)
- The RSF has denied previous accusations of this nature (no comment on this specific Amnesty report) (Mentioned by: BBC)
- Amnesty reviewed 89 open-source videos and conducted extensive satellite imagery analysis of North Darfur as part of its evidentiary basis (Mentioned by: BBC)
- The RSF is accused of holding 20 doctors captive in El-Fasher, and 25 medical workers have been killed in North Darfur since the war began, according to the Sudan Doctors Network (Mentioned by: Anadolu Agency)
- RSF fighters targeted victims based on ethnic identity, using ethnic slurs translated as 'slave' or 'servant' against non-Arab communities, with Arab militias having a long history of violence against Black African groups in Darfur (Mentioned by: BBC)
- The RSF has denied previous accusations of this nature (no comment on this specific Amnesty report) (Mentioned by: BBC)
- Amnesty reviewed 89 open-source videos and conducted extensive satellite imagery analysis of North Darfur as part of its evidentiary basis (Mentioned by: BBC)
- The RSF is accused of holding 20 doctors captive in El-Fasher, and 25 medical workers have been killed in North Darfur since the war began, according to the Sudan Doctors Network (Mentioned by: Anadolu Agency)
- RSF fighters targeted victims based on ethnic identity, using ethnic slurs translated as 'slave' or 'servant' against non-Arab communities, with Arab militias having a long history of violence against Black African groups in Darfur (Mentioned by: BBC)
- The RSF has denied previous accusations of this nature (no comment on this specific Amnesty report) (Mentioned by: BBC)
- Amnesty reviewed 89 open-source videos and conducted extensive satellite imagery analysis of North Darfur as part of its evidentiary basis (Mentioned by: BBC)
- The RSF is accused of holding 20 doctors captive in El-Fasher, and 25 medical workers have been killed in North Darfur since the war began, according to the Sudan Doctors Network (Mentioned by: Anadolu Agency)
- RSF fighters targeted victims based on ethnic identity, using ethnic slurs translated as 'slave' or 'servant' against non-Arab communities, with Arab militias having a long history of violence against Black African groups in Darfur (Mentioned by: BBC)
- The RSF has denied previous accusations of this nature (no comment on this specific Amnesty report) (Mentioned by: BBC)
- Amnesty reviewed 89 open-source videos and conducted extensive satellite imagery analysis of North Darfur as part of its evidentiary basis (Mentioned by: BBC)
- The RSF is accused of holding 20 doctors captive in El-Fasher, and 25 medical workers have been killed in North Darfur since the war began, according to the Sudan Doctors Network (Mentioned by: Anadolu Agency)
- RSF fighters targeted victims based on ethnic identity, using ethnic slurs translated as 'slave' or 'servant' against non-Arab communities, with Arab militias having a long history of violence against Black African groups in Darfur (Mentioned by: BBC)
- The RSF has denied previous accusations of this nature (no comment on this specific Amnesty report) (Mentioned by: BBC)
- Amnesty reviewed 89 open-source videos and conducted extensive satellite imagery analysis of North Darfur as part of its evidentiary basis (Mentioned by: BBC)
- The RSF is accused of holding 20 doctors captive in El-Fasher, and 25 medical workers have been killed in North Darfur since the war began, according to the Sudan Doctors Network (Mentioned by: Anadolu Agency)
- RSF fighters targeted victims based on ethnic identity, using ethnic slurs translated as 'slave' or 'servant' against non-Arab communities, with Arab militias having a long history of violence against Black African groups in Darfur (Mentioned by: BBC)
- The RSF has denied previous accusations of this nature (no comment on this specific Amnesty report) (Mentioned by: BBC)
- Amnesty reviewed 89 open-source videos and conducted extensive satellite imagery analysis of North Darfur as part of its evidentiary basis (Mentioned by: BBC)
- The RSF is accused of holding 20 doctors captive in El-Fasher, and 25 medical workers have been killed in North Darfur since the war began, according to the Sudan Doctors Network (Mentioned by: Anadolu Agency)
- RSF fighters targeted victims based on ethnic identity, using ethnic slurs translated as 'slave' or 'servant' against non-Arab communities, with Arab militias having a long history of violence against Black African groups in Darfur (Mentioned by: BBC)
- The RSF has denied previous accusations of this nature (no comment on this specific Amnesty report) (Mentioned by: BBC)
- Amnesty reviewed 89 open-source videos and conducted extensive satellite imagery analysis of North Darfur as part of its evidentiary basis (Mentioned by: BBC)
- The RSF is accused of holding 20 doctors captive in El-Fasher, and 25 medical workers have been killed in North Darfur since the war began, according to the Sudan Doctors Network (Mentioned by: Anadolu Agency)
- CGTN and Anadolu Agency do not report the Amnesty ethnic cleansing findings at all, instead covering parallel stories about UN humanitarian warnings and medical worker detentions respectively (Mentioned by: BBC, The Guardian, Al Jazeera English, Arab News, Okaz, South China Morning Post, The Hindu, Daily Sabah)
- RSF fighters targeted victims based on ethnic identity, using ethnic slurs translated as 'slave' or 'servant' against non-Arab communities, with Arab militias having a long history of violence against Black African groups in Darfur (Mentioned by: BBC)
- The RSF has denied previous accusations of this nature (no comment on this specific Amnesty report) (Mentioned by: BBC)
- Amnesty reviewed 89 open-source videos and conducted extensive satellite imagery analysis of North Darfur as part of its evidentiary basis (Mentioned by: BBC)
- CGTN and Anadolu Agency do not report the Amnesty ethnic cleansing findings at all, instead covering parallel stories about UN humanitarian warnings and medical worker detentions respectively (Mentioned by: BBC, The Guardian, Al Jazeera English, Arab News, Okaz, South China Morning Post, The Hindu, Daily Sabah)
- The RSF is accused of holding 20 doctors captive in El-Fasher, and 25 medical workers have been killed in North Darfur since the war began, according to the Sudan Doctors Network (Mentioned by: Anadolu Agency)
Original Sources