HRW: Stronger int’l pressure needed to prevent atrocities in Sudan — no impunity for defecting militia commanders

International advocacy group Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged stronger international action to prevent further atrocities in Sudan, warning that civilians in El Obeid face an imminent risk of mass violence as fighting intensifies between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). HRW has also called on the SAF to ensure that former RSF commanders who defect to the SAF are held accountable for alleged war crimes and serious human rights abuses.

The call, in a statement by HRW researcher Mohamed Osman on Monday, follows warnings from the UN Security Council on 20 June and UN human rights chief Volker Türk on 18 June that, as extensively reported by Radio Dabanga, RSF forces are encircling El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan. Since the conflict began in April 2023, tens of thousands of people have been killed, millions displaced and Sudan plunged into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

HRW said the Security Council should use its 26 June meeting on Sudan to consider urgent measures to deter the RSF, including new sanctions on commanders and key supporters. The organisation highlighted evidence that the United Arab Emirates has provided support to the RSF and called on governments, particularly African leaders and members of the Coalition for Atrocity Prevention and Justice for Sudan, to press the UAE to end that support.

Accountability

In a separate appeal delivered at the 62^nd United Nations Human Rights Council session in Geneva, during an enhanced interactive dialogue on the oral update of the UN Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan held on June 15, 2026, HRW has also called on the SAF to ensure that former RSF commanders who defect to the SAF are held accountable for alleged war crimes and serious human rights abuses. The organisation said commanders should not escape justice by switching sides and urged Sudanese authorities to cooperate with ongoing regional and international investigations.

The appeal follows the defections of two senior RSF commanders in 2026. Ali Rizqallah, known by the nom de guerre ‘El Savanna’, who participated in RSF operations in Kordofan and Darfur, joined the SAF in May. El Nur Ahmed Adam, known as El Nur El Qubba, who commanded RSF forces in North Darfur, defected in April and was publicly welcomed into the army by Sudan’s military leader, Abdelfattah El Burhan.

HRW said it had documented widespread RSF attacks on civilians in El Fasher, including unlawful killings and rape, particularly during the group’s takeover of parts of the city in October 2025. The organisation said verified videos showed both commanders in El Fasher during the RSF’s 18-month siege, while RSF statements indicated that Ael Qubba held a senior command role there from at least April 2024.

The group also highlighted the case of Abu Aqla Keikel, a former RSF-aligned commander who defected to the SAF in 2024. HRW previously documented killings and other abuses by forces under his command after the army retook El Gezira state in 2025.

HRW said Sudan is obligated under international law to investigate and prosecute atrocity crimes. It also urged international partners to support accountability efforts and seek an expansion of International Criminal Court jurisdiction beyond Darfur to cover all of Sudan.