International Monitor: RSF Accounted for 11% of Global Civilian Killings by Armed Groups
Sudanhorizon – Agencies
The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED) organization published an article on its website on Monday presenting statistical findings based on its conflict database, concluding that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the Sudanese paramilitary group fighting the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), “killed more civilians in Sudan than any other rebel or armed group in the world.”
According to the article, ACLED’s data indicates that the RSF was responsible for at least 11% of all civilian deaths worldwide attributed to non-state armed groups.
In an article titled “What’s Fueling Conflict Today? A Review of Global Trends,” written by Ciro Murillo, Associate Analysis Coordinator, ACLED stated that “the Rapid Support Forces killed more civilians in 2025 than any other non-state armed group.” During the first eleven months of 2025, ACLED recorded more than 4,200 civilians killed in RSF attacks, representing 11% of all civilian deaths worldwide attributed to non-state armed groups.
However, the organization cautioned that this figure is likely a significant underestimate of the true death toll. It noted that the RSF’s “brutal tactics, including extrajudicial killings, shelling of residential areas, and ethnically motivated violence, may have claimed thousands more lives, reviving accusations of genocide and ethnic cleansing against non-Arab communities in Darfur.”
ACLED specializes in collecting and analyzing conflict-related data from around the world. The organization reported that armed conflicts are increasingly characterized by diminished restraint and escalating violence against civilians.
It further observed that armed actors worldwide have become more willing to use force while showing blatant disregard for the consequences. According to ACLED, more than 185,000 violent incidents were recorded globally in 2025.
The organization also reported that one in every six people worldwide was affected by conflict during 2025, warning that civilians now face greater risks than ever as global violence continues at high levels.
In 2025, ACLED documented more than 56,000 incidents of violence targeting civilians, the highest level recorded for this category over the past five years. The organization estimates that 831 million people, or 16% of the world’s population, were exposed to conflict during the year.
The report highlighted another notable finding: non-state armed groups and violent mobs were responsible for approximately two-thirds of all violence targeting civilians and 59% of civilian deaths in 2025. It specifically concluded that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) killed more civilians in 2025 than any other non-state armed group worldwide.
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