What Happened
- The UN Human Rights Office released a 29-page report documenting that at least 6,000 people were killed over three days (October 25-27, 2025) during the Rapid Support Forces' (RSF) assault on el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur and the last major city under Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) control in Darfur.
- Of the total, at least 4,400 were killed inside el-Fasher and over 1,600 were killed while attempting to flee.
- The report documented widespread atrocities including mass killings, summary executions, sexual violence, abductions for ransom, torture, detention, and enforced disappearances, amounting to war crimes and possible crimes against humanity.
- The UN findings were based on interviews with over 140 victims and witnesses conducted in Sudan's Northern State and eastern Chad in late 2025.
- The RSF, along with allied Arab militias (Janjaweed), had besieged el-Fasher for over 18 months before overrunning it on October 26, 2025.
Static Topic Bridges
Responsibility to Protect (R2P) Doctrine
The Responsibility to Protect is an international norm adopted unanimously at the 2005 UN World Summit (Outcome Document, paragraphs 138-139). It rests on three pillars: Pillar I requires each state to protect its population from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity; Pillar II involves the international community assisting states in fulfilling their protection responsibilities; Pillar III authorizes collective action if a state "manifestly fails" to protect its population. The Darfur crisis of the 2000s was itself a key catalyst for the development of R2P.
- Adopted: 2005 UN World Summit, unanimously by 193 Member States
- Three Pillars: State responsibility, international assistance, collective action
- Four crimes covered: Genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity
- Darfur connection: The 2003-2005 Darfur crisis was instrumental in building support for formalizing R2P
Connection to this news: The RSF's documented atrocities in el-Fasher represent precisely the scenarios R2P was designed to address, yet the international community's inability to prevent the massacre underscores the persistent gap between the doctrine's principles and its enforcement, echoing the original Darfur crisis that helped birth R2P.
International Criminal Court (ICC) and Darfur
The ICC obtained jurisdiction over Darfur through UN Security Council Resolution 1593 (March 2005), which referred the situation to the ICC Prosecutor, even though Sudan is not a party to the Rome Statute. The ICC issued two arrest warrants against then-President Omar al-Bashir: the first on March 4, 2009 (five counts of crimes against humanity, two counts of war crimes), and the second on July 12, 2010 (three counts of genocide against the Fur, Masalit, and Zaghawa ethnic groups). Al-Bashir became the first sitting head of state to face an ICC arrest warrant.
- Rome Statute: Adopted 1998, entered into force July 1, 2002; established the ICC at The Hague
- UNSC Resolution 1593: March 2005, referred Darfur to ICC
- Al-Bashir arrest warrants: March 2009 (war crimes, crimes against humanity) and July 2010 (genocide)
- ICC membership: 124 States Parties (India is not a member)
Connection to this news: The fresh atrocities documented by the UN in el-Fasher may lead to additional ICC proceedings against RSF leaders, though enforcement remains challenging given Sudan's non-party status and the historical inability to execute the al-Bashir warrants.
Sudan Civil War (2023-Present)
The civil war in Sudan erupted on April 15, 2023, between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti). The conflict originated from a power struggle within the military government that took power after the October 2021 coup. The RSF evolved from the Janjaweed militias that were implicated in the 2003 Darfur genocide. By 2025, the conflict had displaced over 12 million people (9 million internally, 3.5 million as refugees), making it one of the world's largest displacement crises.
- War began: April 15, 2023
- SAF leader: General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (de facto head of state)
- RSF leader: General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti)
- Displaced: 12 million+ (9 million internally, 3.5 million refugees)
- US State Department declared RSF committed genocide: January 7, 2025
Connection to this news: The fall of el-Fasher marks the RSF's complete capture of all five Darfur state capitals, representing a significant military and humanitarian escalation in a conflict that has already produced one of the worst humanitarian crises globally.
Key Facts & Data
- 6,000+ killed in three days (October 25-27, 2025) in el-Fasher
- 4,400 killed inside the city; 1,600+ killed while fleeing
- 12 million displaced since April 2023 (world's largest displacement crisis)
- Sudan civil war parties: SAF (al-Burhan) vs. RSF (Hemedti)
- El-Fasher: Capital of North Darfur, last SAF stronghold in Darfur region
- ICC arrest warrants against former President al-Bashir: 2009 and 2010
- US declared RSF genocide: January 2025