Reports of Mass Killings Emerge Following RSF Capture of el-Fasher, Sudan
EL-FASHER, SUDAN – Following the fall of el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), reports of widespread killings and atrocities are prompting calls for the RSF to be designated a terrorist organization and for increased pressure on countries allegedly supporting the militia.
Senators Jim Risch (R-ID),Tim Scott (R-SC),and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) issued a joint statement on Tuesday condemning the violence and urging former President Donald Trump to consider designating the RSF as a terrorist organization. “The horrors in Darfur’s El-Fasher were no accident – they were the RSF’s plan all along,” Senator Risch wrote on X. The statement further alleges that “The RSF has waged terror and committed unspeakable atrocities, genocide among them, against the Sudanese people.”
Lawmakers are also scrutinizing the role of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which the RSF claims has provided military support. Shaheen and others have criticized the UAE, but the UAE maintains it has supported a ceasefire, stating to Reuters that “the latest UN Panel of Experts report makes clear that there is no substantiated evidence that the UAE has provided any support to RSF, or has any involvement in the conflict.”
Concerns have been raised regarding potential conflicts of interest, with Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) noting Trump’s relationship with the UAE and their investment in his stablecoin earlier this year. Both Trump and President Joe Biden have continued to approve weapons deals with the UAE, a key ally in the Middle East.
Legislative action is being proposed to address the crisis. Representative Gregory Meeks (D-NY) and others have called for a ban on weapons sales to countries supplying arms to either the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) or the RSF, while others advocate for stricter enforcement of the UN’s arms embargo in Sudan.
