A brutal civil war is raging in Sudan, with the Rapid Support Forces committing systemic atrocities across the country. The New York Times conducted a six-month investigation, mapping out a command structure of at least 20 key figures responsible for these crimes. The R.S.F. fighters often film these atrocities themselves, providing evidence for future accountability. Collaborating with the C.I.R.’s Sudan Witness Project and Ayin Media, The Times collected videos and satellite imagery to document the terror being waged by the R.S.F. across multiple states. The R.S.F., led by former Janjaweed commander Hemeti and his brother, is using tactics reminiscent of the Darfur genocide from 20 years ago. A pattern of abuse, including executing captives, torching communities, and abusing civilians, has been documented. The Sudanese army is also accused of war crimes, but the focus of this investigation is on the widespread abuses by the R.S.F. that may amount to crimes against humanity. Commanders like Hussein Barsham have been identified at the site of numerous atrocities, indicating potential responsibility under the laws of war. The investigation has uncovered disturbing evidence of executions carried out by the R.S.F. in various regions of Sudan, with senior commanders often present or in close proximity to the crimes. And it is confirmed that they were present in El Fula at the same time as the executions because the shadows in both sets of videos match. These commanders are familiar with each other and are frequently seen together in West Kordofan. Despite the eight-month gap between the executions at Baleela and El Fula, they took no action to prevent their fighters’ misconduct. One of the most infamous incidents of the conflict was the assassination of the then-governor of West Darfur, Khamis Abakar. In June 2023, he was apprehended by the R.S.F. shortly after publicly denouncing the group. Footage depicts him being escorted into a building by a commander named Abdelrahman Joma Barakallah, and this was the last time he was seen alive. Subsequent video footage displayed his lifeless body covered in blood. Governor Abakar’s murder occurred during a series of ethnic assaults aimed at his tribe, the Masalit community in El Geneina, the same group targeted by the Janjaweed years ago. Mariam Mohammed Ismael is one of the half-million Sudanese refugees who fled to Chad to escape the violence. The R.S.F. caused extensive destruction in El Geneina, destroying or damaging nearly a quarter of the city’s 300,000 structures, similar to the Janjaweed’s actions in the past. They have been utilizing fire as a weapon of war in Darfur and beyond for nearly two years. In Kutum, North Darfur, entire communities have been ravaged since October, with satellite images revealing no natural fire path between the burned residences and several villages being individually burned, indicating deliberate arson. Hundreds of miles away in Al Takmah, R.S.F. fighters are seen gleefully setting homes and businesses ablaze, resulting in the destruction of half the town. At a military base captured by the R.S.F. in Sidrah, a commander oversees the burning of structures, with a fighter seen igniting huts with a torch. Another field commander named Al Gouja is present, boasting as more huts are set on fire. Al Gouja is not the only commander implicated in these scorched earth tactics. During a deadly month-long assault in North Darfur, four R.S.F. commanders – Al Nour Al Guba, Geddo Hamdan Abu Shouk, Ali Rizkallah, and Zeer Salim – were identified directing attacks to capture El Fasher, the state capital, from Sudanese army and allied forces. The R.S.F. encircled the city in April, torching dozens of outlying villages and targeting the Zaghawa ethnic group. The siege forced pregnant Ekhlas Adam Ali El Haj to flee her village of Tawila to a location near Golo Dam. Commander Ali Rizkallah, from North Darfur, instructed the water supply at Golo Dam, which served over 200,000 people, to be cut off. Ekhlas was forced to flee again, this time to a school in El Fasher, which was later invaded by the R.S.F. Three commanders – Zeer Salim, Al Guba, and Abu Shouk – were on the front lines during the siege of El Fasher, with Zeer Salim often seen fighting alongside his forces on the streets. On June 1 and 2, these commanders were observed together as a neighborhood was set on fire. Zeer Salim was prominently featured in videos, including leading prayers in a mosque in eastern El Fasher and rallying troops with his superiors Al Guba and Abu Shouk nearby. The R.S.F. commander denied responsibility for the fires, attributing them to Sudanese army bombings, but evidence suggests they were part of the R.S.F.’s scorched-earth tactics. Researchers from the Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale University identified targeted attacks on Zaghawa ethnic groups in El Fasher, with over 20,000 structures damaged or destroyed by August. The devastation was concentrated in the eastern part of the city, where the R.S.F. made significant advances. Arafa Ali Yagoub, a resident in the area, recounted the terror inflicted by the R.S.F. before she fled, including the abduction of her husband. Abu Shouk and Al Guba, both former Janjaweed members, led R.S.F. forces in North Darfur and targeted Zaghawa rivals in El Fasher. The presence of these high-ranking commanders in El Fasher highlights the severity of the campaign and links them to the atrocities committed. Ekhlas, Arafa, and many other civilians were forced to flee back to Tawila, where even their homes had been looted. The brutality experienced by Ekhlas and Arafa reflects the suffering of countless Sudanese civilians at the hands of the R.S.F., as depicted in numerous videos showing beatings, shootings, and other forms of violence. In October, the R.S.F. continued their reign of terror. Repetidamente atacaron civiles en el Estado de Gezira, después de que Abu Aqla Kaykal, un comandante de las R.S.F. de esa zona, desertara al ejército de Sudán. Esto desencadenó una ola de represalias por parte de las R.S.F. en todo el estado natal de Kaykal. Los pueblos en Gezira también fueron atacados cuando Kaykal estaba en las R.S.F. Pero esta vez, específicamente apuntaron a la tribu de la que era. Cientos fueron asesinados en cuestión de semanas. Uno de los pueblos invadidos por las R.S.F. es Al Seriha. Un comandante de las R.S.F. que lideraba esa campaña es Al Gouja, a quien vimos cuando las chozas fueron incendiadas anteriormente. Aquí está, a 300 yardas de Al Seriha, disparando y dirigiendo a los combatientes de las R.S.F. a su alrededor. Una vez dentro, reunen a los hombres y los retienen. No vemos lo que sucede después. Pero las R.S.F. reportadamente matan a más de 100 personas aquí. Ataques simultáneos estaban ocurriendo en pueblos justo alrededor de la región oriental de Gezira. En muchos lugares, las R.S.F. reúnen a los hombres de la zona o los obligan a huir a punta de pistola. Testigos con los que hablamos estaban aterrorizados. Robaron el rebaño de cabras de Ammar El Awad Alam. Las R.S.F. vaciaron Al Seriha y muchos otros pueblos. Y los combatientes se jactaban de su limpieza étnica. Los ataques desencadenaron otro éxodo. 150,000 personas se fueron en dos semanas. Se encuentran entre los más de ocho millones de personas desplazadas en Sudán, y millones más que han huido a países vecinos. La evidencia que recopilamos de la violencia de las R.S.F. en Gezira coincide con múltiples relatos de otro tipo de abuso: la violencia sexual. Los sobrevivientes han dado testimonio a expertos con los que entrevistamos, incluyendo a Hala Al Karib, directora de SIHA, un grupo de defensa de las mujeres. Su equipo también recibió testimonios de violación en varios pueblos en Gezira, particularmente alrededor del área de donde era Kaykal. Tambul, Rufaa y Azraq están entre los pueblos de los que los combatientes de las R.S.F. se jactaron de haber destruido. Los expertos con los que hablamos dijeron que separar a los hombres de sus familias, como vemos en Gezira, es un indicador clave de violencia sexual. Los testigos rara vez hablaban directamente sobre violencia sexual, pero temían por las mujeres y niñas en sus comunidades. Hanan Abbakar Al Tahir recordó que los combatientes de las R.S.F. la miraban con lujuria en su hogar en Gezira. También mataron a un hombre por defender a las mujeres. Mientras Al-Nazeer huía de su hogar, las R.S.F. lo golpearon cuando se opuso a que las mujeres de su grupo fueran acosadas. Y más tarde, fue disparado. Human Rights Watch, la ONU y otros grupos han documentado violencia sexual en al menos cinco estados de Sudán desde que estalló el conflicto. Décadas después del genocidio en Darfur, solo una persona ha sido llevada a juicio en la Corte Penal Internacional. Esta vez, puede haber una perspectiva más sólida de responsabilidad. Los videos que los combatientes perciben como trofeos de sus hazañas son considerados por el fiscal de la C.P.I. como otra cosa: evidencia. “Así que podemos reunir los diferentes tipos de conjuntos de evidencia que están disponibles ahora, desde teléfonos, desde grabaciones de video y audio, que también están resultando ser extremadamente críticos para romper el velo de impunidad”. En esta investigación, las imágenes nos permitieron encontrar 10 comandantes supervisando posibles crímenes e identificar las áreas de operación de muchos más. Su líder, el General Dagalo, o Hemeti, puede tener la responsabilidad final. Una y otra vez, los combatientes le rinden pleitesía. Y el comandante de campo con el que hablamos dijo que reciben órdenes desde arriba. En casi dos años de guerra, Hemeti ha fracasado en detenerlos para que no cometan abusos. Pero hay destellos de esperanza. Los sobrevivientes con los que hablamos recordaron la amabilidad de extraños, conciudadanos que ofrecieron comida, refugio o protección mientras huían. Lo que necesitan ahora es que la violencia termine.
