All articles tagged with #rsf
El-Obeid, home to about 500,000 people, remains under threat as the RSF presses its siege in Sudan’s conflict, with relentless drone strikes crippling power and water infrastructure and prompting a humanitarian crisis in a country already hosting millions of displaced people; control of the city would sever a crucial supply route and could alter the war’s dynamics, prompting urgent international warnings and calls for action.
Amnesty International concludes the RSF committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing in and around El Fasher, North Darfur, detailing killings, torture, sexual violence, hostage-taking, forced child recruitment, and deliberate starvation during 2024–2025. Backed by 247 interviews, hundreds of videos, and satellite data, the report warns of ethnic-targeted persecution and possible genocide, and calls for an immediate nationwide ceasefire, deployment of an independent international protection force, accountability for senior RSF commanders, and a broader arms embargo.
The United States warned that RSF forces surrounding el-Obeid could trigger mass atrocities and urged a negotiated end to the Sudan conflict, calling for protection of civilians and unhindered humanitarian access. UN warnings say up to 500,000 civilians in el-Obeid face risk, as the war has displaced millions and killed tens of thousands.
The 2026 World Press Freedom Index from Reporters Without Borders shows a global decline in press freedom to a 25-year low: less than 1% of people live in a country rated ‘good,’ while 52.2% of nations are categorized as ‘difficult’ or ‘very serious.’ The United States falls to 64th, Europe remains the only region with ‘good’ scores, and Eritrea, North Korea, and China sit at the bottom. The legal environment worsened in about half of the countries, with notable declines in India, Egypt, Israel and Georgia, while Syria posts the largest gain by rising 36 spots.}
Sudan says four drone strikes were launched from Ethiopia using UAE-supplied drones and has recalled its ambassador, accusing Addis Ababa and the UAE of backing the attacks; Ethiopia denies the charges, and the UAE denies funding the RSF. The conflict has killed more than 150,000 and displaced about 14 million, with drones central to the fighting and rising regional interference.
RSF’s World Press Freedom Index shows global press freedom at its lowest level in 25 years, with more than half of the 180 countries rated as “difficult” or “very serious” and less than 1% of people living in “good” conditions. The decline is driven by expansive national-security laws, restrictive legal tools, hostile politics, and a struggling media business model, impacting democracies as well as autocracies. The US drops to 64nd place; Russia under Putin uses anti-terror and other laws to curb reporting. Argentina and El Salvador are singled out for significant declines, and more than 220 journalists have been killed in Gaza since October 2023. The report calls for ending journalism criminalisation and SLAPPs, protecting reporters, and ensuring access during conflict, noting safety concerns in the UK and highlighting Syria’s notable improvement while Eritrea remains last.
RSF says global press freedom is at its lowest level in 25 years, with more than half of countries now rated 'difficult' or 'very serious' and the share of people living in 'good' conditions falling to under 1%. The United States has dropped to 64nd place amid Trump-era attacks on journalists, detention/expulsion of Salvadoran reporter Mario Guevara, and cuts to US international broadcasting funding. Russia sits at 172nd with 48 journalists jailed. Niger shows the steepest decline in 2026, while Norway remains top and Eritrea last; Syria improves to 141 but remains in the 'very serious' category. RSF calls for meaningful sanctions and stronger protections for journalists and international law.
MSF warns that sexual violence remains a daily reality in Sudan, even in Darfur areas far from active fighting. Based on 3,396 survivor testimonies (2024–25), most assaults are by armed men—primarily RSF fighters—with ethnic targeting and brutal violence. Many victims were women performing routine tasks like collecting water or traveling to markets. The report calls for accountability and says the humanitarian system has failed to adequately protect survivors.
A drone strike on El-Daein Teaching Hospital in East Darfur killed 64 people (including 13 children) and wounded 89, leaving the hospital nonfunctional, according to the WHO. The RSF blamed an army drone, while the army denied involvement. The attack comes amid Sudan's civil war, which has killed more than 150,000 people and displaced about 12 million, with calls for de-escalation and an independent investigation into attacks on healthcare.
At least 17 people, most of them schoolgirls, were killed when an explosive-laden drone blamed on Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces struck a secondary school and a health centre in Shukeiri, White Nile, injuring more than 10. The attack adds to a pattern of civilian-targeted violence amid Sudan’s war and has drawn condemnation from medical groups and rights observers.
The New York Times reports that Trump told UAE leader MBZ that Saudi Arabia asked him to sanction the UAE for backing Sudan’s RSF, a claim linked to Saudi lobbying after a White House visit; Riyadh now leans toward the Sudanese army in the conflict, while the US has already targeted RSF commanders with sanctions.
The UN Security Council imposed sanctions on four RSF leaders linked to atrocities in el-Fasher, Darfur, after a UN fact-finding mission described the October takeover as genocide; the RSF and its backers deny systematic abuses and say they evacuated hundreds of thousands of civilians, while the broader Sudanese war between the RSF and the army continues to cause massive displacement and humanitarian crisis.
Drone strikes have moved the Sudanese civil war’s focus to south-central Kordofan, where near-daily attacks on markets, health facilities and homes are driving mass displacement and famine-like conditions in besieged Kadugli and Dilling. The Sudanese armed forces have regained some ground and broken sieges, while the RSF—with SPLM-N and various regional backers—keeps pressure elsewhere. The UN and humanitarian groups are pleading for civilian protection amid growing concerns of a broader regional spillover and continued hardship for civilians.
Chad closed its eastern border with Sudan until further notice to prevent the conflict from spreading after fighting near al‑Tina, saying exceptions may be granted for humanitarian reasons. The move comes as almost a million Sudanese have crossed into Chad since 2023, with casualties reported in border clashes; Chad denies aiding the RSF and warns it may retaliate against aggression.
Chad closed its eastern border with Sudan after weekend clashes in the town of Tine killed five Chadian soldiers and three civilians, with authorities saying the border will stay closed until further notice to prevent spillover and protect civilians and refugees as more troops are deployed to the frontier.