Nairobi – Sudan Now | Feb. 25, 2026
Human Rights Watch said the RSF targeted people with disabilities, abused them, and killed some during and after their takeover of Al Fashir the capital of North Darfur, on Oct. 26, 2025 and in the period that followed, warning that these acts may amount to war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity.
The organization said, in a report released from Nairobi, that it conducted interviews with 22 survivors and witnesses from Al Fashir between December 2025 and February 2026, including people with disabilities who fled to eastern Chad, as well as eight disability rights activists from other parts of Sudan.
According to testimonies cited in the report, fighters from the RSF accused people who had lost limbs of being “wounded fighters” and summarily executed some of them as they attempted to flee the city, while others were subjected to beatings, humiliation, and mocking with degrading slurs.
Witnesses said that civilians, including people with physical and intellectual disabilities, were killed while trying to flee, while others were detained and ransoms were demanded for their release. The organization also documented cases of looting of assistive devices, including hearing aids and wheelchairs, which it said were the only means of mobility for their owners.
The report noted that the takeover of Al Fashir came after a siege lasting about 18 months, and that people with disabilities faced heightened difficulties in fleeing due to limited mobility and the lack of transportation and support, leaving some of them in dangerous conditions.
The report also addressed the situation of displaced people in the Twila area of North Darfur, where people with disabilities and their families said they lacked assistive devices, medical care, and psychological support, and that facilities within the displacement sites were not adapted to their needs.
Human Rights Watch emphasized that targeting civilians, including people with disabilities is prohibited under international humanitarian law, noting that Sudan is obligated to protect this group under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The organization called on the United Nations Security Council to take action to prevent further violations and impose sanctions on those responsible, and urged humanitarian actors to ensure that aid is inclusive and accessible to people with disabilities.
These allegations come amid a growing number of reports from UN and human rights organizations documenting widespread violations during military operations in the Darfur region, particularly in Al Fashir.
Since the outbreak of war in Sudan in April 2023, international organizations have documented a recurring pattern of violations, including extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, looting and ethnically targeted attacks, amid repeated calls for international investigations and accountability for those responsible.
