Inside the secret battle to document RSF abuses in Sudan

Core Impact Points

• The RSF has been accused of committing genocide, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing in Darfur, with mass graves and widespread sexual violence reported.
• The Sudanese National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) has documented nearly 4,000 cases of sexual violence across Darfur, with 20% of the victims being girls under the age of 18.
• The NCHR has also reported that the RSF is holding 1,480 civilians in el-Fasher alone, including 446 children and 360 women, scattered across various detention centers in the city.
• The conflict in Sudan has already killed tens of thousands and displaced nearly 14 million people, with the RSF continuing to be accused of committing atrocities in its remaining strongholds.
• The international community is being called upon to protect human rights teams on the ground and support their documentation efforts, with the NCHR's field teams facing immense hurdles in their race to document these crimes.
• The evidence gathered by the NCHR could be used to bring justice to civilian victims, with the targeting of ethnic groups, mass killings, and widespread sexual violence likely constituting war crimes and crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.