WJWC Condemns Al-Fashir Massacre, Calls for Urgent International Action

Al-Fashir, North Darfur – Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) condemns in the strongest possible terms the massacre committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) at dawn on Friday, September 19, 2025, in the city of Al-Fashir.

A drone strike targeted a mosque crowded with worshippers during the dawn prayer in the Al-Daraja Al-Oula neighborhood, killing at least 75 civilians—including children and the elderly—and injuring dozens more.

This deliberate attack represents a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, notably Common Article 3 of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, as well as Sudan’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. It also constitutes crimes under international law, including war crimes and crimes against humanity as defined in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Evidence from the scene—showing a destroyed mosque and mutilated bodies—confirms that the strike was not indiscriminate but a calculated assault on civilians and sacred spaces. The repeated targeting of mosques, schools, and hospitals across Darfur reflects a systematic pattern of atrocities that urgently requires international intervention.

WJWC calls on the international community to take immediate action, including:

·       Launching an independent international investigation under the supervision of the UN Human Rights Council to document the massacre and ensure accountability.

·       Referring the case to the International Criminal Court pursuant to Articles 5–8 of the Rome Statute.

·       Imposing binding international sanctions on RSF leaders and external supporters complicit in these crimes.

·       Establishing international protection mechanisms for civilians in Darfur, including secure humanitarian corridors and the deployment of independent international monitors.

The cycle of impunity in Sudan has emboldened perpetrators and paved the way for escalating atrocities. WJWC stresses that the protection of civilians in Darfur is a shared responsibility of the international community, and that continued silence in the face of such grave crimes is both legally and morally indefensible.

RELEASED BY:

Women Journalists Without Chains

September 19, 2025