The United Nations Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan has released a new report on Wednesday which details the brutal mass killings, systematic abductions of women and girls, and mass gang rapes carried out by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State. The report provides further harrowing evidence that the atrocities committed by warring parties in the North African nation constitute distinct markers of genocide.
Critically, the Fact-Finding Mission warned that similar patterns of civilian devastation are now being actively employed in El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State, where the Mission is launching an urgent inquiry into alleged human rights violations and abuses.
This latest report is a supplementary paper that builds on the severe violations of international law that the Mission documented in its earlier report "Hallmarks of Genocide in El Fasher" and provides additional evidence of atrocities, including detention, torture, ransom-taking, and the enforced disappearance of civilians.
"Our investigations not only provide the evidentiary basis underpinning our findings on El Fasher, but reflect the Mission's continued investigations into violations that have devastated communities across Darfur,” said Mohamed Chande Othman, Chair of the Fact-Finding Mission.
“The patterns we documented in El Fasher – including encirclement, attacks on civilian infrastructure, restrictions on humanitarian access, and widespread abuses against civilians – serve as a stark warning.”
He stressed that the international community must heed these lessons and act to prevent further catastrophe.
El Obeid: A town under siege
The report was released amid growing concerns about the situation in El Obeid, where over half a million residents and more than 100,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) are facing mounting insecurity, attacks on critical infrastructure, and limitations to accessing essential services.
Following reports of a significant troop buildup by the RSF and allied forces around El Obeid, the UN has issued multiple warnings that an offensive on the town could result in additional serious international crimes and further exacerbate the catastrophic impact on civilians.
Humanitarian organizations report that escalating RSF drone strikes on El Obeid are killing civilians and cutting off access to food, water, and fuel. These strikes are likely paving the way for a ground offensive that would endanger hundreds of thousands of people. Drone strikes are already disrupting access to essential drinking water and electricity.
El Obeid’s inhabitants have endured siege-like conditions for over 18 months. Control of the town and the surrounding area has been highly contested, with the frontlines repeatedly shifting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF. The town is also a vital hub for relief operations across the region.
The threatened assault on the town comes amid an unprecedented nationwide emergency. An estimated 33.7 million people — nearly two-thirds of Sudan's population, including over 20 million children — currently require humanitarian assistance and protection due to the war that began in April 2023.
UN Human Rights Council mandates urgent inquiry
On Monday, the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) adopted a resolution expressing deep concern about the imminent risk of large-scale atrocities by the RSF in and around El Obeid. The resolution requested that the Fact-Finding Mission conduct an urgent inquiry into violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, and related international crimes allegedly committed in the area.
During Friday's urgent debate at the HRC on El Obeid, the Mission warned that patterns previously observed in El Fasher appear to be emerging in El Obeid. These patterns include the encirclement of the city, attacks on infrastructure, growing humanitarian isolation, and escalating risks to civilians. The Mission stressed that these warning signs had preceded devastating atrocities elsewhere in Sudan and urged immediate action to protect the population.
"The lessons of El Fasher must not be ignored," said Mona Rishmawi, an expert member of the Fact-Finding Mission.
She noted that the report demonstrated not only the devastating human cost of the atrocities committed in and around El Fasher, but also the warning signs that preceded them.
“We have seen this pattern before: the encirclement of cities, attacks on civilian infrastructure, restrictions on humanitarian access, and escalating violence against civilians. These are not isolated incidents – they are warning signs of further atrocity crimes,” she said.
Rishmawi said that the parties to the conflict – and “those enabling them through the continued supply of weapons, drones and other forms of support” – must act now to protect civilians.
“The international community still has a window of opportunity to prevent further atrocity crimes. El Obeid must not become the next crime scene,” she added.
Investigators issue urgent demands for accountability, prevention, and protection
The Fact-Finding Mission reiterated its calls for effective accountability, including prompt cooperation and action by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
"The suffering documented in this paper is measured not only in statistics, but in the lives of women, girls, men and children who have endured unimaginable violence," added Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, an expert member of the Fact-Finding Mission.
"Accountability remains essential, but so too does prevention. At a moment when serious concerns are being raised about the risks facing civilians in El Obeid, the findings from El Fasher underscore the need for urgent protection measures before more lives are lost."
The Fact-Finding Mission stated that it will continue its investigations and report on the situation in and around El Obeid to the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly, as per the Council's resolution.
The Mission’s latest report comes after the non-governmental organization Amnesty International revealed in a major report last week that the RSF had committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing during their campaign to seize El Fasher. The human rights organization noted that the crimes documented in its report, as well as other suspected crimes under investigation, may be considered genocide.
Further information
Full text: Information Supplementing the Report “Sudan: hallmarks of genocide in El Fasher, Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan, conference room paper, A/HRC/62/CRP.4, published July 8, 2026
https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/ffm-sudan/a-hrc-62-crp.4.pdf