UN Experts Decry Trafficking, Rape, and Child Recruitment in El Fasher Crisis

“We are deeply concerned at the alarming reports of human trafficking since the takeover of El Fasher and surrounding areas by the Rapid Support Forces,” the experts said.

The United Nations has sounded the alarm over appalling human rights abuses occurring amid the escalating conflict in El Fasher, North Darfur, where hundreds of thousands have been displaced and civilians, particularly women and children, face an intensifying threat of trafficking, sexual violence, and exploitation.

UN human rights experts issued a joint statement condemning reports of widespread sexual slavery, human trafficking, and the recruitment of child soldiers by armed actors—primarily the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)—since the siege of El Fasher began in May 2024.

“We are deeply concerned at the alarming reports of human trafficking since the takeover of El Fasher and surrounding areas by the Rapid Support Forces,” the experts said.

A Humanitarian and Protection Crisis

El Fasher has become a center of suffering as violence escalates in the Darfur region. According to the UN:

• Over 470,000 people have been displaced multiple times from camps such as Shagra, Zamzam, and Abu Shouk.

• More than six million children are currently displaced across Sudan, with 27% under the age of five.

• Aid access is severely restricted, and many families are left without shelter, food, water, healthcare, or protection.

The experts revealed that unaccompanied women and children—especially those from non-Arab ethnic groups such as the Zaghawa and the Fur—have been ethnically targeted and subjected to rape, forced marriage, and enslavement.

Shocking Reports of Sexual Violence

Eyewitness accounts and field reports document systematic sexual abuse in RSF-controlled areas:

• In June 2025, girls aged 15–17 were reportedly raped near an RSF checkpoint while fleeing El Fasher.

• At least 25 women were gang-raped at gunpoint by RSF members at a displacement shelter near El Fasher University.

• Instances of forced nudity at checkpoints and sexual slavery, including the sale or gifting of women and girls, have been reported.

“The exercise of ownership over victims in these contexts is indicative of sexual slavery,” the UN experts stated.

Recruitment and Exploitation of Children

The crisis has also seen a disturbing rise in child soldier recruitment, particularly among internally displaced and unaccompanied minors. Armed groups are reportedly:

• Forcibly recruiting children as fighters, porters, or spies

• Exploiting boys and girls in combat zones

• Targeting vulnerable populations in and around displacement camps

These practices amount to grave violations of international law, the experts warned.

Ethnic Targeting and Gender-Based Atrocities

The atrocities have revealed a deliberate pattern of ethnically motivated violence and gender-based oppression, particularly against non-Arab communities. The experts drew attention to:

• Arbitrary detention and forced marriage of women and girls

• A calculated effort to destroy communities through rape and terror

• Sexual violence being used as a weapon of war

Such acts, if proven systematic, may rise to the level of crimes against humanity, according to human rights observers.

A Call for Urgent International Action

The UN experts have welcomed the Human Rights Council’s special session on Sudan, held on 14 November 2025, to specifically address the crisis in and around El Fasher. However, they stressed that Member States must act quickly and decisively to implement its resolutions.

“We call for urgent action to end the human rights violations driving this suffering and to ensure displaced communities receive the protection and assistance they desperately need,” the experts said.

They reiterated that sexual exploitation, slavery, and the use of children in armed conflict constitute serious breaches of international humanitarian and human rights law, and demand an immediate response.

Human Trafficking as a Weapon of War

The ongoing siege by RSF forces is not only displacing communities but enabling an environment in which human trafficking, sexual slavery, and gender-based crimes flourish unchecked. The international community, they warned, must recognize these violations not as isolated crimes but as part of a broader, strategic assault on civilian populations.

Global Responsibility

The experts urged all parties to the conflict to respect international law, protect civilians, and allow unimpeded humanitarian access to affected regions.

“All parties to the conflict must respect human rights and prevent further atrocities against civilians, including the trafficking of women and children,” the statement concluded.

As conditions worsen in Sudan, particularly in Darfur, the world watches closely to see whether nations and international bodies will move beyond condemnation and take concrete steps to protect the most vulnerable—and hold perpetrators accountable.