Sudan War
Published Saturday, 24 October, 10:47 a.m. ET (4:47 p.m. Port Sudan) · Source: Amnesty International
Key Facts
- What happened: Amnesty International says RSF fighters detain, torture and kill civilians in El Fasher, Sudan.
- The numbers: 17 of 19 residents Amnesty interviewed had been detained. Aid groups say fewer than 70,000 people remain.
- Who is accused: The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary group that took the city on 26 October 2025.
- What happens next: Amnesty wants a ceasefire and protection force; the RSF had not replied to its 9 October letter.
- Prediction markets: Polymarket gives a Sudan ceasefire by 31 December 2026 an 8.0% chance (as of 10:38 a.m. ET, 4:38 p.m. Port Sudan, Saturday, 24 October).
This story is part of our coverage of the sudan war. Dates, times and how to follow it are in our guide.
Amnesty International says fighters of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are still detaining, torturing and killing civilians in El Fasher, a year after they captured the city. The human rights group published its findings on Friday, 23 October 2026.
The abuses continue inside the Sudan war, the conflict between the RSF and Sudan’s army that began in April 2023. El Fasher is the capital of North Darfur, in western Sudan, and fell to the RSF on 26 October 2025 after a long siege.
In plain English
The RSF is a paramilitary force that is fighting Sudan’s regular army for control of the country. Amnesty is a London-based human rights group that investigates abuses by governments and armed groups.
It says people in El Fasher are being held, beaten and forced to work, and that the city has largely emptied.
What Amnesty Found
Amnesty interviewed 25 people: 19 residents and six humanitarian workers. Seventeen of the 19 residents said the RSF had detained them.
Witnesses described unlawful killings, torture and forced labour. Amnesty also says members of the Zaghawa and Masalit communities were more likely to be detained and abused.
“A pervasive pall of fear hangs over El Fasher today,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty’s secretary general. Humanitarian groups cited by Amnesty put the population at fewer than 70,000, compared with more than one million before the war.
What Amnesty Wants
Amnesty calls for the immediate release of people held arbitrarily and an end to torture, unlawful killings and forced labour. It also wants an immediate ceasefire and the deployment of an international force to protect civilians.
It calls on all countries to stop arming the parties to the conflict, and to halt arms transfers to the United Arab Emirates until it stops supplying weapons to the RSF in breach of the UN embargo on Darfur. It also wants the UN Security Council to extend that embargo to all of Sudan. Amnesty wrote to the RSF on 9 October 2026 and had received no reply when it published.
What Prediction Markets Say
- Polymarket, “Sudan civil war ceasefire by December 31, 2026”: Yes 8.0% (about US$15,050 traded on this contract; about US$119,600 across all four ceasefire deadlines).
The price is the implied probability as of 10:38 a.m. ET (4:38 p.m. Port Sudan) on Saturday, 24 October. It is a real-money bet, not a poll.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
What It Means for US Readers
Washington sanctioned RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, in January 2025, so a fresh Amnesty report adds to pressure for further measures. Amnesty’s call to halt arms transfers to the UAE, a US partner in the Gulf, makes arms supply a question for US diplomacy.
For aid donors and charities, the 70,000 figure shows how little of El Fasher’s population remains to be reached.
What Is Not Known
Amnesty’s evidence is testimony from 25 people, so it gives no citywide total of people killed, detained or missing. The RSF has not answered the findings.
The time of the individual incidents is not given in the report.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Amnesty say about El Fasher?
Amnesty International said civilians in El Fasher face unlawful killings, arbitrary detention, torture and forced labour a year after the RSF captured the city. It published the findings on Friday, 23 October 2026.
Who are the Rapid Support Forces?
The RSF is a Sudanese paramilitary force that has fought the national army since April 2023. It captured El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, on 26 October 2025.
How many people were interviewed?
Amnesty interviewed 25 people: 19 residents and six humanitarian workers. Seventeen of the 19 residents said the RSF had detained them.
How many people remain in El Fasher?
Humanitarian groups cited by Amnesty put the number at fewer than 70,000, compared with more than one million before the war.
Has the RSF responded?
Not as of Amnesty’s publication. Amnesty wrote to the RSF on 9 October 2026 and received no reply.
Sources: Amnesty International, “Sudan: El Fasher civilians suffer unlawful killings, detention and torture one year after city’s capture by the RSF” (23 October 2026); The New Arab; Europa Press; Polymarket. More: RSF Sudan explained, Sudan humanitarian crisis.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error
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