Surge in mass killing in Sudan raises concerns at the UN
- In Reports
- 01:58 PM, Oct 28, 2024
- Myind Staff
A senior official from the United Nations in Sudan has expressed deep concern about reports of serious crimes in the central Gezira state. These include the mass killing of civilians by the paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Clementine Nkweta-Salami made her remarks after an activist group reported that at least 124 people were killed by the RSF in attacks on villages over the past week. The RSF has denied attacking civilians, claiming that its fighters are engaging in battles with militias supported by the military. The conflict in Sudan, which has lasted for 18 months, has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and displaced over 11 million people.
Last week, the RSF took a serious hit when one of its commanders, Abu Aqla Kayka, defected to the military, turning Gezira state into a major conflict. In what it called the first high-profile defection to its side, the army claimed he had taken "a large number of his forces" with him. The RSF retorted that its soldiers would protect themselves and "decisively deal with everyone carrying arms".
Ms Nkweta-Salami, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, said that initial findings indicated the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched a significant attack in the state from October 20 to 25. This attack resulted in mass killings, the sexual assault of women and girls, extensive looting of markets and homes, and the destruction of farms through arson. The "atrocious crimes" were comparable to those that occurred in Sudan's Darfur region last year, when the RSF was accused of "ethnic cleansing" against populations who were perceived to be against it, according to Ms Nkweta-Salami.
Although earlier reports indicated that numerous individuals were killed in Gezira state, Ms Nkweta-Salami stated that the exact number of fatalities was still unknown. Reuters news agency said the RSF was carrying out "extensive massacres in one village after another" in a statement released on Saturday by the Wad Madani Resistance Committee, which advocates for a peaceful resolution to the conflict and democratic governance in Sudan.
The doctors from the Sudanese Union asked the UN to urge both parties in the conflict to come together at safe humanitarian corridors into villages that were encountering RSF-threatened genocide. The doctors' union went on to say that the army was "incapable" of defending civilians and that rescue efforts were now impossible. A disagreement between Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the military and RSF commanders, respectively, led to the start of the conflict in Sudan in April 2023.
In 2021, the two leaders staged a coup together, which disrupted Sudan's move towards democracy. Since then, they have been caught in a brutal power struggle. Despite attempts by the US and Saudi Arabia to mediate and end the conflict, the leaders have not agreed to a peace deal.
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