At least 10,000 to 15,000 people in El Geneina, a town in Sudan's West Darfur region, were killed by ethnic violence last year. This is evident from a new, not yet public report from the United Nations, which the Reuters news agency published on Saturday. The murders were mainly committed by the murderous militia the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied Arab militias. The UN warns of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity.
In April, war broke out in the Sudanese capital Khartoum. Tensions spread to the western region of Darfur: an old conflict over land between Sudanese of Arab and African descent flared up again there. Between April and June, and again later in the year, the city experienced “intense violence,” according to the UN.
The RSF carried out several massacres in the Ardamata residential area in El Geneina, where mainly Sudanese from the African Masalit tribe live. According to testimonies, for example, they were subjected to large-scale mistreatment, abuse and humiliation, or were rounded up and murdered. That month alone, the death toll from the massacres was estimated at between 1,300 and 2,000 people.
War crimes
UN observers also warn in their report that attacks by the RSF and its allies “could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.” “The attacks were planned, coordinated and executed by RSF and their allied Arab militias,” the observers said. The RSF itself denies having committed such crimes.
According to the UN report, there are also “credible” allegations that the United Arab Emirates provided military support to the RSF “several times a week” through the north of neighboring Chad. The UAE itself claims to have delivered 122 flights carrying humanitarian aid to Sudanese. Some 500,000 Sudanese have fled Sudan and are currently in eastern Chad, the UN said.
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