Human Rights Watch Warns of War Crimes as Sudan Paramilitary Targets Civilians with Disabilities

Human Rights Watch reports that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan are deliberately targeting, abusing, and executing civilians with disabilities.

By: AXL Media

Published: Feb 26, 2026, 7:29 AM EST

Source: Information for this report was sourced from JURIST

Targeted Executions and Abuse in El Fasher

Following the RSF’s takeover of El Fasher on October 26, 2025, human rights investigators documented a chilling pattern of violence directed specifically at the disabled population. Survivors and witnesses interviewed between December 2025 and February 2026 described how fighters treated people with disabilities as "suspects, burdens, or expendable". In one horrific account, a 33 year old survivor using crutches witnessed the execution of over 10 people—most with physical disabilities—in front of fleeing civilians.

Other documented atrocities include the summary execution of a blind child, a young man with Down syndrome, and a 14 year old boy who was killed after his wheelchair was seized because he was "slowing other people down". In many cases, RSF fighters used derogatory slurs and ethnic tropes to justify the violence, particularly targeting non-Arab communities such as the Zaghawa and Fur. These actions were reportedly not random but coordinated efforts by leadership to eliminate perceived opposition.

Legal Implications and International Law

Under Common Article 3 of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, all persons taking no active part in hostilities are entitled to full protection from violence and humiliating treatment. HRW asserts that the deliberate targeting of civilians with disabilities violates these fundamental principles of international humanitarian law. Furthermore, if these acts are proven to be part of a "widespread or systematic attack" against a civilian population, they may be prosecuted as crimes against humanity under Article 7 of the Rome Statute.

The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan has already found that the RSF’s operations in the region carry the "hallmarks of genocide". The mission concluded that the systematic weakening of populations through siege and starvation, followed by mass killings and targeted abuse, suggests a reasonable inference of genocidal intent against specific ethnic groups. The specific targeting of the disabled adds a layer of extreme vulnerability to an already marginalized population.