Nairobi, June 10 (Darfur24)
A group of Sudanese victims has filed a criminal complaint in Kenya seeking the prosecution of members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over allegations of torture, sexual violence, and other serious abuses committed during the war in Sudan.
The complaint, submitted on Tuesday by the international legal organization Legal Action Worldwide (LAW), marks the first known attempt to pursue criminal accountability against RSF members outside Sudan since the outbreak of the conflict in April 2023.
The case was filed with Kenya’s Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and seeks authorization to prosecute 10 RSF members accused of committing crimes against civilians in Khartoum and surrounding areas between April 2023 and March 2025, when large parts of the Sudanese capital were under RSF control.
According to LAW, the complaint is based on testimonies from 12 Sudanese victims who allege they were subjected to torture, sexual violence, and inhumane detention conditions.
The victims reported being held in detention facilities with inadequate food, limited access to clean water, and poor sanitation. They allege that RSF members subjected them to severe physical abuse, including beatings, burns, suffocation, electric shocks, and rape. Some victims also reported being forced to transport dead bodies from detention sites.
LAW said some of the accused individuals are believed to be residing in Kenya. Darfur24 was unable to obtain a response from the RSF by the time of publication.
Antonia Mulvey, Executive Director of Legal Action Worldwide, described the complaint as a rare opportunity for Sudanese victims to seek justice.
“For Sudanese victims, it represents a rare and urgently needed pathway to justice at a time when accountability options remain extremely limited,” Mulvey said. “Sudan’s justice system is currently inaccessible, unavailable, and ineffective.”
Willis Otieno, a Kenyan lawyer who filed the complaint locally, said available information suggests that some of the suspects have links to Kenya, providing jurisdictional grounds for an investigation.
“We have faith that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions will act,” Otieno said.
The complaint calls on Kenyan authorities to invoke the International Crimes Act of 2008, which allows for the prosecution of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide regardless of where the crimes were committed.
The RSF has been fighting the Sudanese army since April 2023, when tensions between the two sides escalated into open conflict in Khartoum and other parts of the country.
The paramilitary force has been accused by human rights organizations and United Nations experts of committing serious violations during the conflict, including acts that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The conflict has triggered one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, displacing millions of people and leaving large parts of Sudan without access to basic services.