The Amnesty International report titled City Under Siege, Children Under Fire (released 1 July 2026) documents grave violations by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) during its 2024‑2025 offensive to capture El Fasher, the last stronghold of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The findings have major implications for international law, humanitarian response, and India’s diplomatic stance.
Key Developments
- Amnesty concludes the RSF committed crimes against humanity and carried out ethnic cleansing in North Darfur.
- The RSF besieged El Fasher from May 2024 to October 2025, blocking food aid and creating a 57‑km earthen barrier.
- Documented abuses include murder, forced transfer, torture, rape, sexual slavery, enslavement, and recruitment of child soldiers.
- Three RSF commanders – Maj. Gen. Gedo Hamdan Ahmed Mohamed ("Abu Shouk"), Lt. Col. Abbas Khater Bakhit, and Al‑Fateh Abdullah Idris ("Abu Lulu") – are identified as responsible for serious violations.
- Amnesty urges the international community, especially the United Nations (UN) and donor states, to halt arms supplies to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) until it complies with the UN arms embargo.
Important Facts
The eight‑month investigation (Aug 2025‑Apr 2026) relied on 247 interviews, including 208 survivors (169 adults, 39 children), verification of 89 videos, and satellite‑image analysis. The RSF seized four of Darfur’s five state capitals by November 2023, leaving El Fasher as the final SAF bastion. Villages in the Abu Zerega area, predominantly inhabited by Zaghawa and other non‑Arab groups, were systematically destroyed between Dec 2024 and Mar 2025, confirming a pattern of ethnic cleansing.
Civilians faced daily shelling, starvation, and forced displacement. Many survived on “ambaz,” a low‑quality peanut‑oil by‑product. The Saudi Maternity Hospital, El Fasher’s last functional hospital, witnessed mass killings by RSF fighters.
Exam Relevance
Understanding this case helps aspirants answer questions on:
- International humanitarian law – definitions of crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing (GS2).
- India’s foreign policy – the role of the UN and the need to enforce arms embargoes (GS1, GS3).
- Human rights mechanisms – the function of NGOs like Amnesty International in documenting violations (GS2).
- Conflict dynamics in Africa – the impact of proxy support (UAE) on internal wars (GS1).
Way Forward
Amnesty’s recommendations include:
- Immediate delivery of humanitarian aid, especially child‑focused services, to displaced populations.
- Targeted sanctions against the three identified RSF commanders.
- Universal compliance with the UN arms embargo; cessation of arms shipments to the UAE until it adheres to the embargo.
- Enhanced UN monitoring and possible referral to the International Criminal Court for prosecution of war crimes.
For India, aligning diplomatic statements with concrete actions—such as supporting UN investigations and ensuring no Indian‑origin arms reach the RSF—will reinforce its commitment to international humanitarian norms.