A UN expert has warned that Sudan’s Darfur region is facing a high risk of genocide because the world’s attention is fixated on conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.
The UN Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, Alice Wairimu Nderitu, had during BBC’s Newsday programme, saying, “We do have circumstances in which a genocide could be occurring or has occurred.”
Nderitu added that many civilians were targeted because of their ethnicity in Sudan’s besieged city of El Fasher, where severe conflict had worsened in recent days.
Over 700 deaths have been reported in 10 days by a medical charity in the city.
El Fasher is the last key urban centre in the Darfur region that is still in the hands of the Sudan’s army.
The military has been in conflict with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for over a year, in a civil war that has seen thousands of lives lost and displaced millions from their homes.
Reports have said that ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity had been committed against the ethnic group, Massalit and non-Arab communities in the region by the paramilitary forces and its Arab allies.
There have been calls for sanctions against those responsible for the atrocities, including for the arrest of RSF leader, Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti.
The current violence can be attributed to a long history of tensions over resources between non-Arab farming communities, including the Massalit, and Arab pastoralist communities.
The internet has since been cut in that community, making access to the city difficult, as soldiers from the RSF group keep assaulting the city.
According to the UN, about 15,000 people are feared to have been killed in El Geneina, a West Darfur city in 2023.
The RSF had meanwhile, said it was not involved in what it has tagged as a “tribal conflict” in Darfur.
The paramilitary group had originated from the Janjaweed militia which was accused of genocidal and ethnic cleansing acts against non-Arab communities in Darfur in 2003, after rebels had taken up arms, criticising the government of ignoring the region.
What They’re Saying
Nderitu had said that the situation is unfolding to a “Rwanda-like” genocide of 1994, citing a UN analysis on the increasing risk factors.
“Increased hostilities in El Fasher have now opened a really alarming chapter in this conflict,” she added.
“I’m calling for attention to this particular conflict. I have been trying to get my voice out but my voice is drowned out by other wars – in Ukraine and Gaza.”
What Could Be Done:
To prevent the crisis in Sudan’s Darfur region from escalating into genocide, world leaders can help by raising awareness and amplifying the voices of experts like UN Special Adviser Alice Wairimu Nderitu.
Secondly, world leaders can apply diplomatic pressure on Sudanese authorities and paramilitary groups to get them to stop the hostilities and engage in peaceful negotiations to address the root causes of the conflict.
Finally, providing urgent humanitarian assistance to civilians affected by the conflict, including food, shelter, and medical supplies, can help greatly in alleviating suffering and prevent further loss of life.
