Human Rights Council calls for probe into RSF killings in El-Fasher

The UN Human Rights Council on Friday adopted a resolution calling on the UN’s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan to investigate what it described as "appalling" atrocities in El-Fasher, following reports of ethnically targeted killings and widespread sexual violence.

The resolution issued a strong condemnation of the violence, citing mounting evidence of mass murder, summary executions and the use of rape as a weapon of war.

Since the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized control of El-Fasher last month, satellite images have revealed blood-soaked streets and mass graves visible from space.

The Council asked the fact-finding team to identify those responsible and to ensure steps are taken to hold perpetrators accountable.

Britain, the EU, Norway and Ghana backed the resolution. The UK’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Kumar Iyer, told the session: "Silence is not an option. The Council must send a clear message that impunity will not be tolerated."

Mona Rishmawi, a member of the independent expert team, said “much of El-Fasher has become a crime scene”, with growing evidence of "unspeakable atrocities, including wilful killings, torture, rape, kidnapping for ransom, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances, all on a massive scale".

According to multiple reports, the RSF carried out a massacre at El-Fasher’s Saudi Hospital following their takeover, leaving roughly 450 people dead.

The violence has driven about 100,000 people to flee El-Fasher since October. Civilians say the danger extends beyond the city, with many attacked or left without food or water along unsafe escape routes.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk urged the international community to act, describing the situation as "a stain" on the record of states and institutions that have failed to stop the violence.

"My team is gathering evidence of violations that can be used in legal proceedings," he said, noting that the International Criminal Court has already indicated it is closely monitoring events.

Turk also called for action against individuals and companies that "fuel or profit from the war in Sudan", warning of escalating violence in other regions, including Kordofan, where recent reports describe bombings and mass displacement.

The Council’s resolution also demanded that both the Sudanese army and the RSF allow unhindered humanitarian access, as famine spreads across large parts of the country.

The Sudanese Doctors Network recently warned that the RSF has been attempting to conceal evidence of killings by burning or burying bodies.

While the Human Rights Council cannot compel states to comply with its resolutions, its findings can feed into international investigations and prosecutions.

The ICC announced earlier this month that it had begun securing and preserving evidence from Sudan "for its use in future prosecutions".