Kenya Receives First War Crimes Complaint Against Sudan's RSF

Twelve Sudanese survivors filed a complaint with Kenya's Director of Public Prosecutions, seeking charges against ten members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for alleged torture, sexual violence and other abuses committed in and around Khartoum between April 2023 and March 2025 while the paramilitary group controlled the capital. The filing was made by the legal organization Legal Action Worldwide together with the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies.

Kenya’s International Crimes Act of 2008 allows its courts to exercise universal jurisdiction over atrocities when suspects are present on Kenyan soil, and the complainants say several of the accused are believed to be residing in Kenya. Legal Action Worldwide founder Antonia Mulvey said, “For Kenya, despite the sensitivity of the matter, it is an opportunity to lead in the fight against impunity.”

The RSF, which emerged from the Janjaweed militias, has been accused by human‑rights groups and the United Nations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan’s civil war. Kenyan President William Ruto previously hosted RSF leader Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo for talks framed as peace efforts, a move that drew diplomatic criticism. The complaint argues that Sudan’s own justice system is “inaccessible, unavailable and ineffective,” making the Kenyan avenue a rare pathway to accountability.