Senator Ben Cardin and Darfur Governor Mini Arko Minawi Accuse Rapid Support Forces of Committing Genocide in El Fasher

In an escalation of international condemnation, Senator Ben Cardin, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, stated that what is happening in the city of El Fasher is "not a coincidence," but rather part of a "systematic plan" devised by the Rapid Support Forces since the beginning of the conflict.

He added that the atrocities committed, including genocide, warrant classifying the Rapid Support Forces as a "foreign terrorist organization."

For his part, Mini Arko Minawi, Governor of Darfur, confirmed that El Fasher and the surrounding villages have witnessed horrific massacres carried out by the Rapid Support Forces militias, noting that these forces "do not distinguish between a citizen and a child," and that what is happening is "a beginning with no end," referring to the ongoing bloody escalation.

The simultaneous statements from Washington and El Fasher reflect the magnitude of the humanitarian disaster unfolding in western Sudan, amid increasing international calls for investigations and accountability for those responsible for the violations.