The rapidly rising level of communal violence in Sudan is raising alarm over genocide as fierce fighting between warring generals from the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) approaches the end of the second month.
There have been numerous reports of increased violence in Sudan’s West Darfur region in recent days, which has seen killings based on ethnicity for decades.
The town of el-Geneina, which has suffered a communication breakdown for weeks, has been the focus of attacks by Arab nomad tribes linked to the RSF against the non-Arab Masalit tribes.
The relentless violence, which has caused residents to shelter inside, fearing death if they even leave their homes to fetch food and water, has prompted local activists and observers outside the country to sound the alarm and say that what is happening is genocide and ethnic cleansing.
Some warn that the current cycle of violence could become worse than the Darfur insurgency that began 20 years ago and left 300,000 dead and 2.5 million displaced as the central government empowered the RSF to fight the rebel non-Arab tribes.
Local activists say at least 1,100 people were killed and more injured in attacks in el-Geneina that began in late April, shortly after the start of war between forces led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan. Hemedti” Dagalo.
Today’s update [June 12] is an urgent message to all those following events in Sudan, especially those of the international community involved in efforts to “resolve” the situation – from the US/KSA to IGAD to the AU/UN:
A genocide is taking place in West Darfur. #KeepEyesOnSudan
— Munchkin (@BSonblast) June 13, 2023
A Darfur doctors’ association, which monitors the situation, this week compared the intensity of the violence to the massacres of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
The Sudanese health ministry said on Monday it is struggling to send aid to several states, especially Darfur. Due to the risks, international stakeholders have also been unable to set up a humanitarian corridor to Darfur so far.
Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF) on Sunday called el-Geneina “one of the worst places on earth”. The Darfur Bar Association said the same day that local community leaders, lawyers, doctors and journalists are targets of attacks and an unknown number of them have been killed.
In North Darfur, the local governor’s office declared the town of Kutum a “disaster zone” on Tuesday after many people fled to the state capital el-Fasher in appalling conditions.
There are also reports of increasing violence in the southern Kordofan region, where RSF-backed militias are battling army forces.
Some Sudanese residents have taken to social media to post information about their missing loved ones in hopes of receiving information.
Mediation efforts
A 24-hour ceasefire negotiated by Saudi Arabia and the United States, which came into effect early Saturday, had temporarily halted fighting, but the generals appeared to be using the time to mobilize their troops as there was immediate even more intense fighting broke out after the ceasefire ended on Sunday.
The capital Khartoum also remains the main scene of fighting, with intense airstrikes, shelling and gunfire reported after the ceasefire ended.
At a Monday summit of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a new plan to end the conflict was proposed, while the African Union has warned that the fighting could easily turn into full-blown civil war.
IGAD covers eight African countries namely Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.
Kenyan President William Ruto vowed Monday to organize a “face-to-face” meeting between al-Burhan and Hemedti within days and set up a humanitarian corridor.
Meanwhile, a United Nations spokesman said Monday the organization plans to hold a pledging conference in Geneva on June 19 to support its humanitarian response plan in Sudan and the region.
After al-Burhan declared Volker Perthes, the head of the UN mission to Sudan, persona non grata last week, Hemedti said in a statement that he fully supports the work of Volker and other international stakeholders. RSF’s international credibility.
Humanitarian crisis
According to the UN, the fighting has left a record 25 million people – more than half of the population – now in need of help and protection.
The UN also said the conflict has displaced nearly two million people and forced about half a million residents to seek refuge in neighboring countries.
After more than 200,000 people fled to Egypt, mostly by land, Sudan’s northern neighbor announced it was tightening visa requirements for previously exempt groups, including women of all ages and men under 16 and over 50.
However, Cairo said the demands were aimed at stopping illegal activities such as forging entry visas.
Sudan’s western neighbor, Chad, is another country seeing an influx of tens of thousands of traumatized Sudanese fleeing war.
The UN has organized camps to house some of Chad’s war-ravaged Sudanese, but given the limited capacity, many, including children, are still living in makeshift camps that face a shortage of food, water, medicine and adequate shelter.