Sudan urges global action as war crimes escalate in El Fashir

Sudan has called on the international community to act decisively to end the war that has ravaged the country for nearly two years.

Speaking in Nairobi, the Sudan’s Charge d’Affaires to Kenya, Mohamed Akasha, detailed the situation in El Fashir, the capital of North Darfur describing it as genocide and war crimes.

Akasha denounced the atrocities committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, which has besieged the city, and terrorized civilians.

“For nearly two years, the ancient city of El Fashir, capital of North Darfur, has endured one of the darkest sieges in modern history. The terrorist RSF surrounded the city, bombarding it day and night with artillery, drones, and sniper fire. They cut off all supply routes, blocking food, medicine, and fuel. For two years, more than a million civilians have been imprisoned under siege, starved, and terrorized. Hospitals were destroyed. Humanitarian convoys were looted or ambushed. Entire neighbourhoods were burned to the ground,” said Akasha.

Akasha said that after the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) withdrew from the city on October 26, the RSF entered and unleashed a campaign of mass killings, including house-to-house executions, public hangings, and mass graves, alongside horrific sexual violence and other war crimes.

“The evidence of genocide is overwhelming. This is not a conflict it is extermination. What is happening in El Fashir is not spontaneous. It is systematic,” said Akasha.

The Sudanese government attributes major responsibility for fueling the conflict to foreign actors, notably the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which it accuses of recruiting and deploying mercenaries to support the RSF.

In September, Sudan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Al-Harith Idriss, accused the UAE of orchestrating a systematic campaign of interference in Sudan’s conflict.

In a letter to the UN Security Council, Idriss presented extensive documented evidence that the UAE has recruited, financed, and deployed hundreds of Colombian mercenaries to fight alongside the RSF militia.

He noted that the mercenaries, recruited under false pretences by UAE-based private security companies, were flown via intricate routes involving Somalia and Libya before entering Sudan to participate directly in combat operations in multiple regions, including the ongoing siege of El Fashir.

“Sudanese authorities have gathered extensive evidence showing that hundreds of Colombian mercenaries estimated between 350 and 380, mostly retired soldiers and officers of the Colombian Army were recruited through Emirati-based private security companies,” the letter reads in part.

The letter described how the mercenaries are organized under the name “Desert Wolves” and highlights their involvement in drone operations, artillery assaults, and urban warfare.

It noted egregious violations such as extrajudicial killings of civilians, forced recruitment of child soldiers, use of prohibited weapons including white phosphorus, and coordination of propaganda campaigns aimed at destabilizing Sudan's defence.

Notably, the letter exposes large-scale smuggling flights by UAE-chartered aircraft serving to supply mercenaries and heavy weaponry to RSF-controlled areas, further fuelling the conflict.

“Sudanese authorities have confirmed that between November 2024 and February 2025, no fewer than 248 flights totaling 15,268 flight hours were operated by UAE-chartered aircraft to smuggle mercenaries, weapons, and military equipment into Sudanese territory, particularly to Nyala, El Fasher, and Hamrat al-Sheikh (Annex III),” Idriss noted.