House Foreign Affairs Ranking Member Meeks Releases Statement on the UN's Findings of Genocide in Darfur

Washington, D.C. - Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued a statement after the UN’s International Fact-Finding Mission concluded that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) committed acts of genocide against non-Arab communities in Sudan’s El Fasher city.

“Yesterday’s UN report confirmed our worst fears—that the RSF waged a cruel, genocidal campaign targeting non-Arab communities in Sudan’s Darfur region. As the RSF captured El Fasher last October, it perpetrated a number of horrific crimes against the city’s Fur and Zaghawa communities, including mass killings, rape, and torture. These acts concluded an 18-month siege in which the RSF starved the city’s residents, attacked its medical facilities, and blocked humanitarian aid, actions intended to maximize civilians’ pain and suffering.

“The United States cannot allow these crimes to stand without consequence. Yesterday, the U.S. government sanctioned three RSF commanders who perpetrated war crimes in El Fasher. While I support this designation, additional action is needed to prevent the RSF from committing further acts of genocide. The Trump administration should sanction the RSF as an entity and press the UAE to cease providing weapons to the armed group. Moreover, the administration must ensure lifesaving aid reaches the survivors of the El Fasher siege. Failing to do so would place hundreds of thousands of lives at risk and embolden the RSF to commit further genocidal acts in Sudan.”