In a distressing turn of events, gunmen have carried out a deadly attack, resulting in the tragic loss of at least 40 innocent lives in Sudan’s Darfur region. Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a report on Tuesday, shedding light on the escalating bloodshed, which appears to be ethnically motivated and coincides with the ongoing war between rival military factions.
The Darfur Bar Association, a conflict monitoring group, revealed that several prominent figures have been killed in recent days in the city of El Geneina in West Darfur. Volunteers are now grappling with the overwhelming task of burying the corpses scattered across the streets, further underscoring the severity of the situation.
The conflict in Darfur has caused a staggering displacement of over 2.9 million people, with almost 700,000 seeking refuge in neighboring countries. Antonio Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General, warned last week that Sudan, Africa’s third largest country in terms of land area, teeters on the brink of an all-out civil war that could potentially destabilize the wider region.
The resurgence of violence and forced displacement in Darfur can be attributed to the intense power struggle between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), both engaged in battles in the capital city of Khartoum and other parts of Sudan since mid-April.
Reports from El Geneina indicate a series of attacks by Arab militias and the RSF against the non-Arab Masalit community, the largest ethnic group in the city. These relentless assaults have forced tens of thousands of individuals to flee across the nearby border with Chad in search of safety.
Human Rights Watch, in a recent report, documented the targeted killings of a minimum of 40 civilians, including the execution of at least 28 Masalit people, in the town of Misterei, located 45 km (28 miles) from El Geneina. According to the report, RSF forces and allied Arab militias surrounded Misterei on May 28, entering homes and schools, and callously shooting civilians at close range. They subsequently pillaged and burned a significant portion of the town.
Local authorities later reported a death toll of 97 individuals, including members of a self-defense force. HRW has urged the International Criminal Court to investigate the violence, which has exhibited striking parallels to the horrors witnessed in Darfur two decades ago.
Jean-Baptiste Gallopin, HRW’s senior crisis and conflict researcher, remarked, “The accounts of those who survived recent attacks in West Darfur echo the horror, devastation, and despair of Darfur 20 years ago.”
Despite sharing its findings with the RSF, Human Rights Watch has received no response. The RSF, comprised of fighters from the Arab Janjaweed militia, previously implicated in ethnic atrocities during Darfur’s earlier conflict, has consistently denied responsibility for the killings. The RSF has pledged to hold accountable any members found to be involved in abuses.
The United Nations estimates that over 300,000 people have been internally displaced within West Darfur alone since the outbreak of armed conflict on April 15. Furthermore, HRW reports that approximately 217,000 individuals, with 98% belonging to the Masalit community, have sought refuge in Chad.
Following a coup in 2021, which saw the army and RSF seize full power, disagreements arose over an internationally-backed plan for a transition to a civilian democratic government, leading to the deterioration of relations between the factions.
International efforts to broker a resolution to the conflict have thus far shown little progress, leaving the war in Sudan to persist despite the collective aspirations to bring it to an end. While neighboring African countries have stepped up their involvement in attempts to quell the violence, the situation remains highly challenging and a lasting resolution seems elusive.
