DARFUR: A UN report disclosed a dire situation in Sudan’s war-torn Darfur, specifically in the town of El Geneina, where 10,000 to 15,000 people have been reportedly killed since April.
The conflict involves paramilitaries aligned with Arab militias, potentially engaging in crimes against humanity. The ongoing fighting, primarily between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s forces and the rebel paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, has escalated, with El Geneina becoming a focal point of brutal violence.
According to estimates by the ACLED analysis group, the broader conflict has claimed over 13,000 lives, leading to millions being displaced. The UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs relies on ACLED’s assessment. The UN report, yet to be officially published, outlines the ethnically motivated violence in El Geneina, now under RSF control since June.
ALSO READ: US Accuses Both Sides in Sudan Conflict of Committing Atrocities in Darfur
The attacks in El Geneina were described as planned, coordinated, and executed by RSF and allied Arab militias, deliberately targeting civilian areas, displaced persons’ gathering sites, schools, mosques, and hospitals, accompanied by widespread looting. The Masalit community, the town’s majority non-Arab ethnic group, was specifically targeted, including women, pregnant women, and youth facing indiscriminate violence.
Beyond El Geneina, the experts noted systematic violations of international humanitarian law by paramilitaries and their allies in West Darfur, involving torture, rape, mass arrests, and forced displacement. The report suggests that some of these violations could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The RSF’s violations of the arms embargo were also highlighted, revealing the deployment of heavy weaponry such as unmanned drones, howitzers, and rocket launchers since July. This new RSF firepower significantly impacted the balance of forces in Darfur and other Sudanese regions.
