Testimony says mass killings, sexual violence and child recruitment followed siege of Al Farsher

Speaker 1, an unidentified speaker in the transcript, said the events that unfolded in Al Farsher in Sudan last October "were a preventable human rights catastrophe." The witness described an 18-month siege followed by bombardment and starvation, and said the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) then "unleashed a wave of intense violence."

The speaker said "thousands of people were killed in a matter of days" and that "tens of thousands fled," reporting widespread deaths and mass displacement. According to the testimony, survivors "consistently reported mass killings and summary executions of civilians and those no longer participating in hostilities," both inside the city and during people's flight.

The testimony described sexual violence against women and girls, saying survivors gave "consistent and harrowing testimony of gang rape and other sexual violence"; the transcript includes redactions in places where some words were omitted. The speaker also said staff had documented the recruitment and use of children by the RSF "either through pressure on communities or through direct coercion."

The speaker told the body that the International Criminal Court notified the Security Council last month that it had assessed that both war crimes and crimes against humanity had taken place in Al Farsha (the transcript also uses the spelling "Al Farsher") during the culmination of the RSF siege. The testimony links on-the-ground survivor reports to the ICC's stated assessment to the Security Council.

The transcript records allegations and an international assessment but does not record independent verification of specific incidents beyond what the speaker and referenced institutions reported. No formal actions, votes, or decisions are recorded in the transcript excerpt provided; the speaker's account and the ICC assessment were the most recent developments noted.