Secretive field teams affiliated with Sudan’s National Commission for Human Rights are working to gather evidence of alleged atrocities committed by the Rapid Support Forces in the Darfur region. The monitoring operation functions under severe constraints, with teams relying on mobile phones and secure communication networks to document violations while avoiding detection in areas controlled by the paramilitary group.
According to Rahmatullah Mohammedin Abakar, director of the NCHR’s Darfur division, the field documentation has revealed a systematic pattern of violence targeting civilians across RSF-controlled cities. The NCHR has recorded accounts of mass executions, mass graves in el-Geneina and el-Fasher, and nearly 4,000 cases of sexual violence, with approximately one-fifth of victims being girls under 18 years old. Abakar characterized the RSF’s actions as amounting to genocide.
Beyond killings and sexual violence, the documented cases reveal widespread arbitrary detention. The NCHR reports that approximately 1,480 civilians are held in detention centers across el-Fasher, including 446 children and 360 women. The situation is more severe in Nyala’s Daqris prison, where roughly 10,000 detainees are being held, predominantly women.
Findings by the NCHR align with conclusions reached by international bodies. A UN fact-finding mission determined that the RSF’s campaign during and after its siege of el-Fasher constituted genocide, while Amnesty International has documented crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing in the region. Experts note that these documented violations likely constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity under international law frameworks.
Field teams operating in the conflict zone face substantial obstacles including restricted access to violation sites, lack of cooperation from the RSF, and challenges protecting witnesses. Despite these constraints, human rights officials emphasize that the documentation work is essential for potential future prosecutions and maintaining international accountability mechanisms. The RSF has previously denied allegations of civilian targeting and did not respond to requests for comment on the documented abuses.
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