An international organization documents a record number of deaths by the Rapid Support Forces, stating they committed at least 11% of all recorded killings worldwide

Agencies

ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Database) published an article on its website today (Monday), statistically confirming, based on data, that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a Sudanese paramilitary militia fighting against the Sudanese Armed Forces, have killed more civilians in Sudan than any other rebel or armed group in the world.

The article indicated that the data shows the RSF is responsible for at least 11% of all recorded deaths worldwide committed by non-state armed groups.

The article is titled, “What is Fueling Conflict Today?” A review of global trends, authored by Ciro Morello, Assistant Analysis Coordinator, states that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) killed more civilians in 2025 than any other non-state armed group. In the first eleven months of 2025, ACLED’s database recorded over 4,200 civilian deaths at the hands of the RSF, representing 11% of all civilian deaths worldwide attributed to non-state armed groups.

However, the organization also cautioned that this figure is likely a significant undercount. “The RSF’s brutal tactics, including extrajudicial killings, shelling of residential areas, and ethnically motivated violence, may have claimed thousands more lives, reviving accusations of genocide and ethnic cleansing against Darfur’s non-Arab population.”

ACLED specializes in collecting and analyzing data related to conflicts worldwide. It reported that conflicts are now characterized by a lack of restraint and escalating violence against civilians.

The organization stated that armed groups worldwide have become increasingly willing to use force and blatantly disregard any consequences. It recorded over 185,000 incidents of violence globally in 2025.

The organization says that in 2025, one in six people was a victim of conflict, adding that with global levels of violence continuing to rise, civilians face greater danger than ever before.

In 2025, the organization reported more than 56,000 incidents of violence against civilians, the highest level of this type of violence recorded in the past five years. Furthermore, it estimates that 831 million people, or 16% of the world’s population, were affected by conflict.

However, the report highlighted a key element: non-state armed groups and militias were responsible for approximately two-thirds of the violence targeting civilians and 59% of civilian deaths in 2025. The report then specifically stated that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) killed civilians in 2025.