Nairobi, Kenya (Running Africa) —Victims of alleged atrocities linked to Sudan’s ongoing conflict have filed a landmark complaint in Kenya, seeking an investigation into torture, sexual violence, and other abuses allegedly committed by members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The case, submitted by Legal Action Worldwide, covers alleged crimes committed in Khartoum between April 2023 and March 2025. Twelve Sudanese victims are calling on Kenyan authorities to prosecute ten suspected RSF members, some of whom are believed to be residing in Kenya.

According to the complaint, victims endured severe abuse, including beatings, electric shocks, sexual violence, forced labor, and the handling of corpses. Survivors also described harsh detention conditions marked by inadequate food, water, and sanitation.

The move represents the first known attempt to pursue criminal charges against alleged RSF members outside Sudan, where fighting between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces has raged since April 2023. Human rights organizations and the United Nations have repeatedly accused the RSF of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during the conflict.

Legal experts argue Kenya could hear the case under its International Crimes Act of 2008, despite the political sensitivity surrounding Nairobi’s ties to RSF leadership. Lawyers involved say the case offers a rare path to justice at a time when Sudan’s legal system remains largely unable to function.

The RSF traces its roots to the Janjaweed militias, which were widely accused of atrocities during the Darfur conflict in the early 2000s. The war in Sudan has killed at least 59,000 people and fueled one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, affecting an estimated 34 million Sudanese.