A State Department intelligence assessment on El Fasher was halted before it could produce a formal genocide determination, according to the Guardian, shielding the administration from mandatory responses under the 2019 Elie Wiesel law.
The reported reason was to preserve Washington’s strategic relationship with the UAE, even though the UAE has been widely identified as the Rapid Support Forces’ main foreign backer in Sudan’s civil war.
El Fasher fell in October 2025, and more than 6,000 civilians were killed in three days; the U.N. said the assault bore the hallmarks of genocide, while the Biden administration had already found RSF genocide elsewhere in Darfur in 2024.
The disclosure lands as Trump officials warn of looming atrocities in El Obeid, another strategic city under RSF pressure, while Treasury has sanctioned actors on both sides without conditioning arms sales or broader penalties on Abu Dhabi.
With public evidence of its role in Sudan's genocide, why does the UAE face no consequences from its Western allies?
As illicit gold fuels Sudan's war, can the international community sever the financial lifelines before another city is destroyed?
Genocide in El Fasher: The 2025 Sudan Crisis, UAE Allegations, and the Limits of U.S. and Global Accountability
Overview
In October 2025, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized El Fasher in Sudan, triggering a humanitarian disaster marked by mass killings, hunger, and displacement. The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission found evidence that the RSF committed organized acts of genocide against the Zaghawa and Fur communities, including targeted killings and the deliberate creation of life-threatening conditions. These atrocities led to urgent calls for international intervention to protect civilians. The crisis deepened Sudan’s turmoil, highlighting the need for immediate action to stop ongoing abuses and address the worsening humanitarian situation.