Documentation of violations committed by the Rebel Rapid Support Forces militia are contained in the new issue of Al-Hakika magazine.
In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
- The Truth* (Al-Hakika)
The first periodic electronic magazine specializing in documenting the crimes of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, serving as a reference for the international community and human rights mechanisms worldwide. Issued in three languages. Issue No. 28, septembre 2025.
Foreword
The Sudanese government has called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to open an investigation into foreign countries and entities accused of providing military and logistical support to the RSF. In a speech delivered before the Security Council by its Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Al-Harith Idris affirmed that this support aims to prolong the war and undermine the state’s sovereignty. He also appealed to the international community to provide urgent financial support to enable the court to continue its investigations into crimes in Darfur.
Idriss called on the Office of the Prosecutor to add elements and figures from foreign countries, whether from Sudan’s neighbors in Africa, or major regional sponsors, to the investigation. He accused them of assisting the Rapid Support Forces militia “to continue their attacks… and allowing the smuggling of weapons and providing logistical support, food, supplies, drones, and missiles” to occupy parts of Sudanese territory with the aim of establishing their alleged government. He described this as “a new crime of aggression.”
In a new victory for the voice of the aggrieved Sudanese people and Sudanese diplomacy, the Security Council, on August 13, 2025, demanded the immediate implementation of Resolution 2736 and the immediate lifting of the siege of El Fasher. The Council unanimously and categorically rejected the establishment of a parallel authority to the Rapid Support Forces militia in Sudan.
Meanwhile, the Rapid Support Forces militia, backed by Colombian mercenaries supported by the UAE, continues to commit the most heinous crimes in the west of the country.
In its 28th issue, Al-Hakika sheds light on the participation of Colombian mercenaries fighting alongside the Rapid Support Forces militia. The Rapid Support Forces and their repeated attacks on the besieged city of El Fasher, and the occupation of the largest displacement center in North Darfur by these Colombian mercenaries, after killing and displacing thousands of innocent people, have imposed a tight siege on the city since last year. They have prevented humanitarian aid from reaching the camp, leading to cases of malnutrition, in clear defiance of the Security Council resolution and its repeated assurances of its implementation.
Meanwhile, The Truth has documented the massacres committed by the Rapid Support Forces militia and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) militia, Abdelaziz Al-Hilu’s faction, and their ethnic crimes against civilians in Kordofan and Darfur.
The Truth reveals shocking figures of sexual violence inside the camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in North Darfur, which were controlled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The Truth documents
The World documents: With Emirati Support, Colombian Mercenaries Invade Sudan and Occupy the Largest IDP Camp in North Darfur:
An investigation by the British newspaper The Telegraph, entitled – Colombian Mercenaries Fighting for the Rebels, by Ben Farmer reveals that up to 400 from “Desert Wolves” have been seen inside the Zamzam camp in Darfur, the epicenter of the humanitarian crisis ravaging the war-torn country.
Colombian mercenaries are fighting alongside the rebels, the Rapid Support Forces, in a refugee camp suffering from famine in Sudan.
Local authorities said that fighters from Colombia, the South American country, were seen inside the Zamzam camp in Darfur, which was seized by the rebel Rapid Support Forces militia last April.
Zamzam camp houses hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the war in Sudan and is the epicenter of the humanitarian crisis sweeping the country.
Mohamed Khamis Dudah, a spokesperson for the camp administration, told the Sudan Tribune, “We have witnessed two double crimes: the displacement of our people last April by the Rapid Support Forces militia, and now the occupation of the camp by foreign mercenaries.”
Dudah described seeing Spanish-speaking armed groups moving freely “among the ruins of homes and the unburied bodies of victims.”
The Sudanese military previously released a video, reportedly found on the phone of one of the dead, showing Spanish-speaking mercenaries inside the camp.
Colombian media reported that approximately 400 former soldiers were recruited in Sudan as part of a battalion known as the “Desert Wolves.”
Informants within the group said they were recruited by an Emirati security company that deceived them, telling them they would secure oil facilities.
Instead, they found themselves on the front lines of a war that has been going on for more than two years.
Fighting broke out between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023 after the RSF rebelled against the Sudanese state.
Zamzam camp is located just seven miles from the Sudanese army-controlled city of El Fasher.
● Colombian mercenaries train child soldiers in Sudan
“We train children to kill,” says Cesar. In the photo, taken by him and published by La Silla Vacía, two boys are seen lying on the Sudanese savannah, smiling at the camera and raising their hands in the victory sign. Their features clearly indicate that they are not yet 18 years old. Around them are other men lying on the ground, some pointing AK-47s. In the background, two men stand out in cream-colored military uniforms. Like the photographer, they are Colombian mercenaries in Sudan, tasked with training these Sudanese to fight one of the world’s most horrific wars.
La Silla obtained the photo from “Cesar,” the pseudonym of the former Colombian soldier who captured this scene during his four months as a mercenary in Sudan. He preferred to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals and confirmed that the two Sudanese boys who smiled at him at that moment were indeed children he and other Colombians had trained.
The mercenary says, “They sent me as a trainer to training camps. Camps where 1000, 2000, or even 3,000 Sudanese were recruited for training. There were children aged 10, 11, and 12. There were also people in their twenties and thirties, but there were many, many children.”
The training camp where Cesar witnessed this incident—which he documented with photos and videos he shared with La Silla—is located south of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur and the military stronghold of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan. This armed group has been waging a civil war in the country since 2023 and recruited the two children pictured.
“The Empty Chair platform” revealed in its most serious report yet that Colombian mercenaries were training Sudanese children as young as 11 and 12 years old. More than 300 former Colombian soldiers were recruited as part of an operation known as “Desert Wolves.”
Some of them were trained on drones at bases near Abu Dhabi.
The mercenaries are suffering from delayed salaries.
They are prohibited from using camera phones, and their devices are inspected to prevent information leaks.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro tweeted that:
He requested an urgent note regarding a law banning mercenaries and ordered their embassy in Cairo to verify the deaths of the 40 Colombians said to have been killed in Sudan. He added, “Our youth have become commodities sold for death,” while Petro described those who send youth to be killed in vain as “murderers.”
La Silla Vacía quoted statements by Colombian Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez regarding an investigation into companies, including an Emirati one, that hire former Colombian soldiers as mercenaries in Sudan.
He confirmed to the newspaper that a bill to ban mercenaries is in its final stages.
The minister confirmed that there are plans to improve the training and retention of the army and police, and to help retirees transition to civilian life.
He emphasized that members of Colombia’s regular forces must serve their country and not go “bringing death and pain to other places.”
The minister explained that they are investigating a network of companies that hire mercenaries, adding, “We continue to investigate and closely monitor the ways and means by which Colombians are transferred to become mercenaries in other countries.” He noted that La Silla Vacía’s investigations have revealed that two Colombian companies and an Emirati company are behind these operations.
The minister also clarified in his statements that they are investigating a network of companies that hire mercenaries, adding: “We are continuing to investigate and closely monitor the ways and means by which Colombians are transferred to become mercenaries in other countries.” He noted that La Silla Vacía’s investigations revealed that two Colombian companies and an Emirati company are behind these operations.
He further explained that the Colombian government is also working to improve the conditions of retention of police and army personnel within security institutions and enhance their training so that they “preserve the honor of the uniform.” He confirmed that they are working with the National Training Authority (Sena) and the business sector to facilitate the transition of retired military personnel to civilian life.
The Truth documents
Militias tighten the noose on El Fasher, and the International Organization for Migration reveals that the number of those fleeing it has risen to more than one million people:
The United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM) revealed that the number of displaced people from El Fasher in North Darfur State has risen to more than one million people.
The Rapid Support Forces militia launched attacks on most villages and areas around El Fasher as of May 2024, as part of Its violent attempts to seize control of the city, which included the destruction of water sources, siege, and violations.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a statement that 1,014,748 people were displaced from El Fasher locality, representing more than 10% of the total internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Sudan.
It indicated that the number of those who fled El Fasher and Zamzam camp reached 718,998 people, equivalent to 155,602 families.
It revealed that 99% of the population of Zamzam camp, located 12 kilometers southwest of El Fasher, has been displaced, with 498,955 people, including 436,685 who fled to 26 locations in four states.
Testimonies: The danger to the Zaghawa increases amid Rapid Support Forces attacks on El Fasher
Testimonies published by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) spoke of the danger threatening the Zaghawa ethnic group amid the Rapid Support Forces’ attacks on El Fasher, North Darfur, without hesitation in killing fleeing members of the tribe.
MSF published a report titled Trapped and Starving Under Attack: Mass Atrocities in El Fasher and Zamzam, which included testimonies from 80 interviews conducted with patients and displaced people from El Fasher and Zamzam camp, in addition to testimonies from MSF teams.*
The report stated that “many of the people interviewed reported being targeted because they were non-Arab, and many of them stated that the Zaghawa were particularly at risk.”
He noted that most witnesses confirmed the increasing burning of the Zaghawa community, with one displaced woman saying, “No one could leave El Fasher if they claimed to be Zaghawa.”
A man explained that the Rapid Support Forces and their allies “asked people if they were Zaghawa, and if they said yes, they would kill them.”
The Rapid Support Forces launched a large-scale attack on Zamzam camp, located 12 kilometers southwest of El Fasher, on April 11, seizing control of the camp after three days of clashes that killed 400 civilians and displaced 400,000, according to the United Nations.
The organization said that the Rapid Support Forces deliberately targeted non-Arabs, with reports of systematic looting, indiscriminate killings, and the burning of homes and markets. There were also widespread incidents of sexual violence, and reports indicate that the Rapid Support Forces and their affiliates were involved in kidnappings of men and women.
It noted that the Zaghawa ethnic group had formed the basis of the joint force fighting with the army in defense of El Fasher and Zamzam since early last year, and that self-defense forces recruited from the Zaghawa community had also begun supporting the army and the joint force.
It explained that the Rapid Support Forces and its allies targeted villages and neighborhoods known to be home to the Zaghawa.
MSF expressed its fear of a recurrence of the mass atrocities committed against the Masalit in West Darfur, especially since witnesses reported that Rapid Support Forces soldiers spoke of plans to “cleanse El Fasher” of its non-Arab community.
The Rapid Support Forces have been besieging El Fasher since April 2024, preventing goods, medicine, and relief supplies from reaching the city, which has been subjected to continuous shelling and occasional ground fighting, despite Security Council Resolution 2736 (June 2024) calling for the lifting of the siege on El Fasher.
In the same context, the General Administration of Urban Water in North Darfur accused the Rapid Support Forces of destroying and sabotaging water sources and pipelines west of El Fasher.
Engineer Khaled Ishaq, Director of the General Administration of Urban Water, told Darfur 24 that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, after invading villages in the Shagra and Golo areas last January, destroyed water sources and nearly completely damaged supply lines, exacerbating the suffering of residents in El Fasher.
Ishaq indicated that the RSF militia targeted water tanks and wells in Shagra al-Qoz, Shagra al-Wadi, and Golo reservoir. They disabled centrifugal pumps, cut supply lines, and bulldozed the main water pipelines to El Fasher using loaders.
He added, “The General Administration of Urban Water has recently managed to operate four wells using solar energy in Shagra to ease the burden on citizens. Unfortunately, the same forces stole the panels and operating systems, causing the station to shut down.”
Khaled also indicated that the main water station in Awlad al-Reef neighborhood was also targeted, leading to the shutdown of the city’s main water drains.
He stated that the RSF militia the forces stationed at the Golo Dam are the ones shelling civilians in El Fasher these days.
Ishaq confirmed that the destruction and sabotage of water sources, the cutting of supply lines, and the targeting of the main water station have completely halted water services in El Fasher. He explained that private wells are what alleviated the suffering of the population.
El Fasher is suffocating due to the siege… 88% of basic commodities are missing, and hunger is ravaging the population
Activists revealed a near-total shortage of food supplies in El Fasher, North Darfur, amid the prolonged siege imposed by the Rapid Support Forces militia on the city.
Important goods have disappeared from shops, including sugar, onions, rice, salt, and lentils, amid a sharp decline in stocks of millet, sorghum, and life-saving medicines in El Fasher.
The North Darfur Emergency Room Coordination Council said in a statement, “Our field estimates in El Fasher indicate a near-total shortage of basic food supplies, reaching 88%.”
He explained that the crisis facing El Fasher has passed the critical stage warning to a real humanitarian tragedy.
He pointed out that children and women are considered the most vulnerable, suffering from horrific hunger, and scenes of emaciation and severe malnutrition have become commonplace in camps and host communities.
The Truth documents
Militia Massacres in Villages of North Kordofan: 450 Civilians Killed, Including Pregnant Women, and More Than 3,400 Families Forced to Flee:
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) revealed that the death toll from attacks on villages in Bara Locality in North Kordofan State has risen to 450, including two pregnant women.
The organization said that since last June, the Rapid Support Forces militia has been carrying out large-scale attacks on villages in Bara locality, about 40 kilometers north of El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, as the army advances into the locality.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement that “reports indicate that more than 450 civilians, including at least 24 boys, 11 girls, and two pregnant women, have been killed in the horrific attacks on residential areas around Bara town.”
She expressed concern that the number of child casualties from the attacks could rise, given that dozens have been injured and many others have disappeared.
The attacks on Bara villages, particularly Shaq al-Num and Hillat Hamid, have been widely condemned by political forces and human rights groups.
The Rapid Support Forces militia attacks on the villages were accompanied by widespread looting, destruction of property, burning of homes, and the arrest of dozens of people.
Catherine Russell described the attacks on Bara villages as “shameful, representing a horrific escalation of violence and a complete disregard for human life and international humanitarian law.”
Sudanese parties and entities condemn
The National Umma Party and the Emergency Lawyers Group condemned the attacks launched by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on several villages in North Kordofan State, which claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians.
The National Umma Party said in a statement that “Wad Hamid village in Bara locality was subjected to heavy shelling by the RSF militia, leaving large numbers of dead and wounded, as well as widespread looting.”
It noted that the RSF militia launched an armed attack on the eastern and western villages of Shaq al-Nim, resulting in the deaths and injuries of dozens of people, while one of the villages was completely burned.
It stated that the blatant violations committed by the militia in this area constitute a full-fledged crime and constitute a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.
The party held the leaders of these forces fully legally and morally responsible for the terrorizing, killing, and displacement that took place and are still taking place.
In turn, a statement issued by Emergency Lawyers, a human rights group active in monitoring wartime violations, stated that the Rapid Support Forces militia attacked the areas of Shaq al-Num, Umm Nabq, Fuja, Jakwah, and Mishqa on July 12, committing horrific massacres against civilians. More than 200 people were killed in the village of Shaq al-Num alone, most of whom were burned to death in their homes or shot dead. Dozens of others were forcibly disappeared and detained, and their fate remains unknown.
The statement explained that these attacks were accompanied by looting, destruction of property, and the plundering of livestock. It revealed that victims were buried in mass graves due to the impossibility of individual funerals due to the ongoing bombardment and threats.
Reuters reported that the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary militia killed nearly 300 people in attacks in North Kordofan State.
More than 3,400 people were forced to flee, according to the United Nations.
Reuters has established, according to its sources, that these targeted villages were completely empty of any military targets, which illustrates the criminal nature of these crimes, which were carried out in complete disregard of international humanitarian law.
The United States and human rights organizations have accused the Rapid Support Forces militia of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Its soldiers have carried out a series of violent looting operations in the territories they control across the country.
Journalist and human rights expert Nicholas Kristof holds the UAE responsible for the atrocities committed against civilians in villages in North Kordofan.
Commenting on a report issued by the Humanitarian Research Lab at the Yale School of Public Health (HRL), which documented a massacre committed by the Rapid Support Forces militia in Shaq al-Num, North Kordofan, prominent American journalist Nicholas Kristof posted a scathing tweet in which he held the United Arab Emirates responsible for supporting these crimes in Sudan.
Kristof’s tweet followed the publication of a detailed report from Yale University, which used high-resolution satellite imagery to document the widespread destruction and mass killings in the village of Shaq al-Num on July 12, 2025. The report confirmed the deaths of more than 200 civilians, either burned or shot, with estimates indicating that the number could reach more than 300. Images showed completely destroyed homes and the remains of heavy machinery around the village.
The report also placed the massacre in the context of a broader military campaign carried out by the Rapid Support Forces militia to encircle the city of El Obeid, which included battles in Umm Sumima, the militia’s continued control of the city of Bara, and the destruction of military equipment and vehicles in El Obeid—all documented by satellite imagery.
Kristof, known for his bold humanitarian stances, sharply criticized the UAE’s role in arming and facilitating the operations of the Rapid Support Forces militia. He also accused the previous and current US administrations of remaining silent despite clear evidence.
The Truth documents:
The SPLM-N militia continues to shell several neighborhoods in Deling with heavy artillery and imposes a harsh siege on civilians:
The SPLM-N, led by Abdelaziz Al-Hilu, shelled the city of Deling, the second-largest city in South Kordofan State after the capital, Kadugli, with heavy artillery, causing damage to several homes.
The SPLM-N, backed by the Rapid Support Forces, attacked at least two areas in South Kordofan State in an attempt to isolate Kadugli from Deling and re-establish the siege. However, the Sudanese army announced it repelled the attack, inflicting heavy losses on the attacking force in lives and equipment.
Local sources told Sudan Tribune that “the SPLM-N militia carried out intensive and continuous artillery shelling that targeted several neighborhoods in the city of Deling in South Kordofan State.”
The sources reported that the shelling resulted in a partial or complete destruction of at least five homes.
Deling has been suffering from a stifling siege imposed by the SPLM-N since the first months of the war. The leadership of Abdel Aziz Al-Hilu.
The siege has created a humanitarian crisis and a shortage of food and medicine.
In another context, Mubarak Ardol, head of the political bureau of the Democratic Alliance for Social Justice, accused the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of killing at least 14 civilians and looting at least 2,000 livestock during their attack on the Al-Dashoul area in South Kordofan State.
Ardol tweeted on the X platform that “after the failure and expulsion of the SPLM and the Janjaweed militia from the Al-Dashoul area, the attacking force headed toward the livestock pens in the area, committing a human massacre that claimed the lives of more than 14 civilians and looted thousands of herds of livestock.”
He considered what happened to be a systematic act of revenge aimed at displacing and impoverishing the region’s residents. He emphasized that these crimes will not be subject to a statute of limitations, adding, “We will exact retribution for these innocent people, and their losses will be paid by the invaders in cash and in kind.”
The Truth documents:
The United Nations: “alarming levels” of sexual violence in Sudan, and reveals “521” cases:
The acting UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Kristin Hambrook, said that reports of rape, sexual slavery, and abduction of women and girls continue to arrive at an alarming rate.
Hambrook said in a statement that women and girls have been disproportionately affected… Men and boys have also been subjected to sexual violence, often in silence and with little attention paid to their needs.
She highlighted a sharp increase in sexual and gender-based violence, attributing most of the documented cases of rape, gang rape, sexual slavery, and forced marriage to displacement camps controlled by the Rapid Support Forces militia.
The expert on the situation of human rights in Sudan, Radhouane Nouicer, revealed that 521 victims of conflict-related sexual violence have been documented in Sudan. Nouicer said in a statement, “As of the end of May 2025, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights documented 368 incidents of conflict-related sexual violence in Sudan since the outbreak of the war, involving at least 521 victims.”
He explained that more than half of the documented cases involved rape, including gang rape, most of which targeted displaced women and girls and often characterized by ethnic hatred.
He reported that 70% of the sexual violence incidents were attributed to the Rapid Support Forces militia.
Human rights organizations have confirmed that the Rapid Support Forces militia uses rape as a weapon of war and a strategy to humiliate communities, given that more than half of the documented cases involved gang rape.
MSF reported that it provided care to 659 victims of sexual violence in South Darfur, which has been under the control of the Rapid Support Forces since October 2023, from January 2024 to March 2025.
Radwan Nouicer confirmed that hundreds of incidents of conflict-related sexual violence remain unreported due to stigma, fear of retaliation, and the collapse of medical and legal systems in some areas.
He emphasized that sexual violence leaves lasting scars on individuals, families, and entire communities throughout Sudan, where it remains widespread. He expressed concern about the continued failure of parties to the conflict to prevent it.
A Tool of Terror and Revenge
He stated that victims’ testimonies reveal the extent of the horrific brutality. The Commission documented cases of rape committed against victims in front of their families, abductions followed by sexual violence, trafficking for sexual exploitation, and attacks on female activists.
He added, “Sexual violence often accompanies other grave violations, including killing, torture, and arbitrary detention.”
Nouicer condemned the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war, stressing that its prevalence has devastating and long-lasting effects on the physical, reproductive, and psychological health of survivors and tears apart the social fabric of entire societies.
He called for holding perpetrators accountable and mobilizing national and international justice mechanisms to end impunity for these heinous crimes, in addition to protecting women, girls, men, and boys from sexual violence.
In August 2025, a shocking report by the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) documented enforced disappearances, abductions, sexual violence, and forced slavery targeting women and girls since the beginning of the war on April 15, 2023. The report named the UAE-backed Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as the primary perpetrators of most of these crimes, detailing clear patterns and a significant increase in abductions during the first days of the invasion, and continued disappearances after the militia established control over the areas.
It included horrific testimonies—of women abducted from the street, two sisters taken at gunpoint in front of their mothers, underage girls brought back into militia vehicles with stolen goods, and survivors describing months of detention in degrading conditions, sometimes alongside the bodies of other victims. Some cases ended with ransom payments, others ended in tragedy.
The report also recounts personal stories, such as that of Siham Ishaq Hassan, who has been searching for her daughter Ruqaya for more than a year, without knowing whether she is alive or dead.
The report calls for urgent action – from the release of all unlawfully detained women and girls, to expanding shelter capacity, strengthening investigations, and increasing international oversight.
Excerpts from the report:
The Strategic Initiative Network actively monitored cases of missing women and girls reported online and was able to document 236 cases of women and girls reported missing. While this number is significant and far below the actual number, it is still significantly lower than the number of missing men.
• In Khartoum State, most of the disappearances occurred between April and May 2023, during the early stages of the Rapid Support Forces’ invasion of the capital.
• On May 28, 2023, Hala Ahmed Ishaq, a young woman from the Haj Youssef neighborhood, was found dead inside a stolen car belonging to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The car bore bullet holes, and Hala died from a gunshot wound to the head, suggesting she was abducted by the militia before her tragic death.
• Another young woman, Ensaf Sorour Fadlallah, was found dead near a gas station in the Al-Jereif area of Khartoum. She was initially buried under the number “3487” due to her identity being unknown. Her family was unable to identify her and locate her grave until her photo was widely circulated on social media, indicating she had been missing for some time.
• In May 2023, the SIHA network received additional reports of sightings of women and girls in Darfur in vehicles belonging to the RSF. According to eyewitness accounts, the women and girls were tied to the back of pickup trucks, raising serious concerns about their fate and the militia’s role in their disappearance.
• In Sennar State, the situation has been extremely dangerous since the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) invasion in June 2024, with approximately 1,000 people, including entire families, reported missing, according to the Sennar Youth Gathering. An additional 14 cases of missing women and girls were recorded that same month. This disturbing trend reflects the devastating impact of the RSF presence, with disappearances rising sharply whenever it takes control of new areas, similar to the significant increase that followed the militia’s attack on Al-Jazeera State in mid-December 2023.
• Jihad Fadlallah Suleiman Nasser, a mother in her thirties, disappeared in July 2023 while searching for medicine for her son. She and her friend Wahla were last seen getting into a vehicle with a RSF member.
• The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan documented two particularly horrific incidents in West Darfur and Khartoum states, in which women were abducted from the street by the Rapid Support Forces militia. The victims were held for periods ranging from four days to more than eight months, during which they were subjected to repeated rape, including gang rape. Another testimony recounted an incident in South Darfur in which a woman was abducted from a road, held for three days, and repeatedly raped by militia members.
• SIHA documented the case of two young sisters, D. and A., aged 15 and 13, who were forcibly taken at gunpoint by militia members in front of their mother in the Kalakla area of Khartoum.
• Abducted minor girls are sometimes held briefly before being returned to their families in vehicles associated with the Rapid Support Forces. Stolen goods are often returned with them, perhaps to cover up criminal activity and as an attempt to compensate victims.
• SIHA also reported a particularly horrific case involving a girl who was released by the militia after a ransom was paid. She had been held with 19 other girls, some of whom were subjected to sexual violence, were found naked, and, sadly, some were found murdered. The girl was held in a place littered with the decomposing bodies of other girls, illustrating the horrific conditions they endured.
• The report revealed that an unknown number of women and girls from Khartoum and Darfur were being held hostage in “Al-Musayi” dormitory at Nyala University, which was under the control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Among them were three young women who were abducted from north Khartoum. This horrific information came from one of the detainees who managed to escape, but the fate of the other girls remains unknown.
With the RSF identified as the perpetrator of most documented disappearances in Sudan, the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) Network argues that these cases should be considered as enforced disappearances. This comes while emphasizing that the network does not recognize the RSF as a legitimate state actor, but it effectively controls areas under its control, such as El Geneina, Zalingei, Nyala, and Ed Daein.
The network has been actively monitoring cases of missing women and girls reported online since the beginning of the war until December 2024, the date of this report. To date, we have documented 236 cases of women and girls reported missing. Although this number is large and far below the actual number, it is still lower than the number of missing men.
The Truth documents:
A New Massacre in Abu Shouk Camp for Displaced Persons, and the UN Condemns:
On August 12, 2025, the Acting Coordinator of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Sudan, Sheldon Yeat, condemned the attack by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the Abu Shouk camp for displaced persons north of El Fasher, North Darfur.
The militia launched an attack north, south, and east of El Fasher, considered the most violent of its kind. Its fighters also advanced into the Abu Shouk camp before being forced to withdraw by the Sudanese army and the Joint Force of Armed Struggle Movements after hours of clashes.
Sheldon Yett said in a statement that he was “appalled by reports of a large-scale attack on El Fasher, including Abu Shouk camp, where civilians have once again paid the highest price in the conflict.”
He noted that local sources reported that at least 40 civilians were killed and 19 others injured in Abu Shouk camp, in an attack attributed to Rapid Support Forces fighters.
Hundreds of families fled the camp to escape the RSF fire and into the city, before some returned to their homes after the fighting stopped. The International Organization for Migration confirmed that 500 people fled the camp to locations within the city due to the latest attack.
Sheldon Yett stated that he condemns the deliberate and indiscriminate attacks against civilians, as the warring parties bear a responsibility to ensure their protection under international humanitarian law. He called for displacement camps and shelters not to be targeted.
He expressed concern that all exit routes from El Fasher have been closed, trapping civilians. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have built deep trenches around El Fasher, deploying thousands of fighters along the roads leading to the city. This makes it difficult for the 300,000 civilians still trapped in the city to flee, and they are also refusing to hesitate to kill those fleeing.
The militia has been launching attacks on El Fasher since May 11, 2024, in an attempt to seize control of an urban area controlled by the Sudanese army in the Darfur region. This comes a month after it imposed a siege on the city, which it has tightened over time, preventing the arrival of goods, relief, and medicine.
Sheldon reiterated the UN Secretary-General’s call for a humanitarian truce in El Fasher to allow the delivery of food, water, medicine, and life-saving supplies to those trapped in the city, who are facing severe hunger and famine.
The Sudanese army accepted the Secretary-General’s call for a week-long truce in El Fasher, while the RSF rejected the proposal.
The Truth documents:
The Security Council unanimously and unequivocally rejects the alleged militia government and demands the implementation of Resolution 2736 and the lifting of the siege on El Fasher:
On August 13, 2025, the members of the Security Council rejected the announcement of the establishment of a parallel governing authority in areas under the control of the Rapid Support Forces militia. They expressed their grave concern about the repercussions of these measures, which pose a direct threat to the territorial integrity and unity of Sudan and threaten to exacerbate the ongoing conflict in Sudan, fragment the country, and exacerbate the already dire humanitarian situation.
The members of the Security Council unequivocally affirmed their unwavering commitment to the independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Sudan. They emphasized that any unilateral steps that undermine these principles threaten not only the future of Sudan but also peace and stability in the entire region. They reaffirmed that the priority is for the parties to resume talks to reach a permanent ceasefire and create the necessary conditions for a political solution to the conflict, with the participation of all Sudanese political and social actors, to re-establish a credible and inclusive political transition towards a democratically elected national government, following a civilian-led transitional period, to fulfill the aspirations of the Sudanese people for a peaceful, stable, and prosperous future, in full accordance with the principles of national ownership.
The members of the Security Council also recalled resolution 2736 (2024), which demands that the Rapid Support Forces lift the siege of El Fasher and calls for an immediate cessation of fighting and de-escalation of the situation in and around El Fasher, where famine and malnutrition are feared amid dire security conditions. They also expressed their grave concern at reports of a renewed attack by the Rapid Support Forces in El Fasher. The members of the Security Council urged the Rapid Support Forces to allow unhindered humanitarian access to El Fasher.
The members of the Security Council also condemned the attacks launched by the conflicting parties in Sudan’s Kordofan region in recent weeks, which have resulted in the deaths of large numbers of civilians. The members of the Security Council also expressed their deep concern about the impact of the conflict, including attacks on humanitarian operations. They called on the parties in Sudan to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access, in accordance with relevant international law.
The members of the Security Council called on all parties to the conflict to protect civilians and uphold their obligations under international law, including resolution 2736 (2024), as well as their commitments under the Jeddah Declaration. They also called on all parties to the conflict to abide by international humanitarian law. They called for all perpetrators of serious violations to be held accountable.
The members of the Security Council urged all Member States to refrain from external interference aimed at fueling conflict and instability, to support efforts to achieve lasting peace, to fulfill their obligations under international law, and to implement relevant Security Council resolutions, including resolution 2750 (2024).
The members of the Security Council also reaffirmed the Council’s solidarity and unwavering commitment to continue supporting Sudan and its people in their aspirations to restore peace, security, stability, and lasting prosperity to their country for the benefit of all Sudanese.
The members of the Security Council reiterated their full support for the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Mr. Ramtane Lamamra, and his efforts with the parties and civil society to achieve a sustainable solution to the conflict through dialogue.
