KHARTOUM: Sudanese paramilitary forces killed, abused and targeted people with disabilities during and after their takeover of El-Fasher, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday, calling it the first time it had documented abuse of “this type and scale.”
The Rapid Support Forces, which have been fighting Sudan’s regular army since April 2023, captured the military’s last stronghold in western Darfur in October after an 18-month siege.
Reports later emerged of mass killings, abductions, rape and widespread looting.
Last week, the UN’s independent fact-finding mission on Sudan said the assault on El-Fasher bore “the hallmarks of genocide.”
“Human Rights Watch has documented abuses against people with disabilities in armed conflict around the world for over a decade,” said Emina Cerimovic, the group’s associate disability rights director.
