An Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan has declared that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) committed acts bearing the “hallmarks of genocide” against the Zaghawa and Fur Black communities. In a report released on Thursday, February 19, 2026, the UN-established mission detailed how the late-October 2025 takeover of El Fasher involved ethnically targeted killings, widespread sexual violence, and enforced disappearances.
The evidence establishes that at least three underlying acts of genocide were committed: killing members of a protected ethnic group, causing serious bodily and mental harm, and deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the group’s physical destruction.+2
The mission’s findings focus on the RSF’s 18-month siege of El Fasher, which systematically weakened the population through starvation and the denial of medical supplies before the final assault. Mohamed Chande Othman, Chair of the mission, stated that the scale and coordination of the operation demonstrate that these were not random excesses of war but a planned operation with the defining characteristics of genocide.
The report notes that genocidal intent was the “only reasonable inference” drawn from a pattern of systematic targeting and public declarations by RSF fighters, who reportedly stated their desire to “eliminate anything black from Darfur.”+1
Identity-based targeting was central to the violence, with Zaghawa and Fur women and girls specifically selected for sexual violence while those perceived as Arab were often spared. Survivors recounted RSF fighters explicitly searching for members of the Zaghawa community to kill.
Mission member Mona Rishmawi emphasized that the body of evidence ranging from prolonged starvation to mass killings and systematic humiliation leaves no doubt regarding the intent to destroy these communities in whole or in part. The Zaghawa and Fur have historically faced discrimination and were targeted during earlier waves of Darfur violence in the early 2000s.
Despite international warnings and clearly identified atrocity risk indicators preceding the takeover, the mission reported that no effective measures were taken to protect the civilian population. With the conflict now expanding to regions like Kordofan, the mission warned that the risk of further genocidal acts remains serious and ongoing.
The report, which aims to identify those responsible for these violations of international humanitarian law, is scheduled to be presented to the UN Human Rights Council on February 26, 2026. Othman concluded that the international community now has a heightened obligation to prevent further atrocities and ensure justice is served.
 committed acts bearing the "hallmarks of genocide" against the Zaghawa and Fur Black communities. In a report released on Thursday, February 19, 2026, the UN-established mission detailed how the late-October 2025 takeover of El Fasher involved ethnically targeted killings, widespread sexual violence, and enforced disappearances.){kind=link}