GENEVA — More than 6,000 people were killed over three days in late October when Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched what the United Nations described as “a wave of intense violence … shocking in its scale and brutality” in the Darfur region.In a 29-page report released Friday, the U.N. Human Rights Office said the RSF offensive to capture the city of el-Fasher involved widespread atrocities that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.“The wanton violations that were perpetrated by the RSF and allied Arab militia in the final offensive on el-Fasher underscore that persistent impunity fuels continued cycles of violence,” U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said.The RSF and allied Arab militias, known as the Janjaweed, overran el-Fasher — the Sudanese army’s last remaining stronghold in Darfur — on Oct. 26 after more than 18 months of siege, according to the report.Mass killings, executions and sexual violenceThe U.N. documented at least 4,400 killings inside el-Fasher between Oct. 25 and Oct. 27.More than 1,600 others were reportedly killed while attempting to flee the city.The figures were based on interviews with 140 victims and witnesses and were cross-checked with satellite imagery and video analysis.The report detailed mass killings, summary executions, sexual violence, abductions for ransom, torture, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances. Many of the attacks were described as ethnically motivated.In one incident on Oct. 26, RSF fighters allegedly opened fire with heavy weapons on around 1,000 civilians sheltering at the Rashid dormitory at el-Fasher University, killing about 500 people. A witness described seeing bodies thrown into the air “like a scene out of a horror movie.”In another case, about 600 people, including 50 children, were reportedly executed while sheltering in university facilities.The U.N. warned the actual death toll from the week-long offensive was likely “significantly higher.”The estimate does not include at least 460 people reportedly killed when RSF fighters stormed the Saudi Maternity Hospital on Oct. 28, according to the World Health Organization.The report also cited approximately 300 deaths from RSF shelling and drone attacks on Oct. 23-24 at the Abu Shouk displacement camp northwest of el-Fasher.Sexual violence, including rape and gang rape, was described as widespread during the assault. Women and girls from the African Zaghawa non-Arab community were reportedly targeted on accusations of supporting the Sudanese army.Türk, who visited Sudan last month, said survivors described sexual violence being used “systematically as a weapon of war.”The RSF and allied forces also allegedly abducted civilians attempting to flee, releasing some only after ransom payments.The U.N. documented at least 10 detention facilities run by the RSF in el-Fasher, including a children’s hospital converted into a detention center. Thousands of people remain missing, according to the report.Sudan’s war began in April 2023 following a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF.The conflict has created what the U.N. describes as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with famine conditions in parts of the country.The International Criminal Court is investigating alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the conflict. The United States previously accused the RSF of committing genocide.RSF commander, Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, has previously acknowledged abuses by his forces but disputed the scale of atrocities.Türk said there were “reasonable grounds” to believe war crimes and crimes against humanity had been committed, calling for accountability for those responsible, including commanders.“Persistent impunity fuels continued cycles of violence,” he said.
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