US State Department: RSF committed crimes against humanity
The US State Department stated that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan committed widespread crimes against humanity during 2024 and are responsible for most of the violations against civilians in this country, which has been embroiled in a bloody conflict since April 2023.
The US State Department issued its annual reports for 2024, which covered most developing countries, especially those experiencing special situations like Sudan. The annual report focused on violations attributed to the parties to the conflict in Sudan, particularly the armed forces and their supporting forces, the Rapid Support Forces, and their affiliated militias.
The report indicated that the Rapid Support Forces committed the vast majority of violations, particularly in the areas of destruction of medical infrastructure and public service facilities, as well as attacks and violations related to gender, race, and ethnicity, as well as starvation and siege of civilians, preventing them from leaving conflict zones.
The report on Sudan details crimes committed by the Rapid Support Forces and its affiliated militias in central Sudan, particularly Darfur, including the forced displacement and expulsion of civilians from their homes, villages, and cities, ethnic and tribal killings, looting of property and funds, systematic sexual violence, disappearances, kidnappings, and ransoms.
The lengthy report, published on the official Foreign Ministry website, stated that “the Rapid Support Forces and allied militias committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing” in Sudan, where the report covers events that occurred in 2024.
It detailed: “Members of the Rapid Support Forces and allied militias also committed genocide and systematic killings of men and boys on an ethnic basis.”
These same forces and militias targeted fleeing civilians, killed innocent people fleeing the conflict, and prevented remaining civilians from accessing life-saving supplies.
The report compiled all reports issued by the United Nations, human rights organizations, and international organizations to support its accusations against the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese army.
It noted that there were “reasonable grounds to believe that the Rapid Support Forces committed crimes against humanity, including murder, torture, enslavement, rape, sexual slavery, and similarly serious sexual acts, violations based on intersecting ethnic and gender grounds, as well as forced displacement of the population.”
The report devoted sections to the Rapid Support Forces’ attacks on “more than 40 hospitals in 2024” alone, and the looting of valuable medicines, medical supplies, generators, and ambulances. Based on documented reports from UNICEF, by late August, the forces had attacked at least 77 hospitals across the country, and more than 70% of health facilities were out of service, with supplies running low and replenished due to limited access.