Amnesty International said in a report released on Wednesday that Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing during their siege and subsequent takeover of el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, in what it described as one of the deadliest episodes of Sudan's ongoing civil war.
The conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) has entered its third year and has triggered what aid agencies describe as the world's worst humanitarian crisis, says the BBC.
Amnesty said its investigation documented a broad range of alleged abuses by the RSF, including murder, torture, rape, sexual slavery, extermination and forcible transfer. The rights group said it collected evidence from more than 200 survivors and reviewed satellite imagery and open-source videos as part of its findings.
According to the report, violence frequently targeted people based on their ethnic identity. Amnesty said Arab fighters affiliated with the RSF targeted members of local non-Arab communities, including the Zaghawa ethnic group, and used derogatory racial slurs during attacks.
Children were among those directly affected by the violence, Amnesty said, adding that they were deliberately targeted for killing, injury, abduction and forced recruitment on a large scale.
The United Nations has also reported widespread sexual violence against men, women and children, describing its use as a "weapon of war" intended to terrorise communities.
The UN estimates that more than 6,000 people were killed over three days during the assault on el-Fasher.
The wider conflict has displaced more than 14 million people, while 28 million are facing acute hunger, according to figures cited by Amnesty.
The rights group said evidence gathered during its investigation could be relevant to the crime of genocide. The UN has similarly stated that the assault bore the "hallmarks of genocide".
Amnesty said it had identified specific RSF commanders it considered responsible for the alleged violations and called for an immediate ceasefire as well as the deployment of an international force to protect civilians.
The RSF has denied the scale of the allegations, although its leadership has acknowledged that some violations occurred and said investigations were underway.
Both the RSF and Sudan's regular army have faced accusations of war crimes during the conflict.
Sudan / Sudan Rapid Support Forces (RSF) / RSF / genocide / atrocities / Amnesty International
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