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Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Twenty years on, Darfur is facing hell on earth once more
The attackers came from all sides, with machine guns mounted on the beds of their pickup trucks. Their target: the Samsam refugee camp in Sudan's North Darfur state. Panic broke out in the camp, which was home to between 500,000 and 1 million internally displaced people, according to different estimates. The attackers were fighters from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, the very group the refugees had fled from. Refugees like Mohamed, who does not wish to disclose his full name, experienced horrific events. "Older people who couldn't flee quickly enough were burned alive in their huts. Children were dragged out of hiding and killed," Mohamed reported by phone from Al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur. He said the RSF abused and racially insulted their victims. Aid workers were executed on the spot. Mohamed's statements cannot be independently verified, but observers and aid organizations on the ground confirm the violent deaths of staff from the humanitarian organization Relief International. According to UNICEF, at least 23 children were killed. Reports indicate those killed numbered at least 129, possibly several hundred. Violence in Darfur has deep roots Sudan has been embroiled in a civil war for more than two years between the RSF militia, led by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, and the government forces of Sudan's de facto leader Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan. The two generals originally seized power together in 2021 and are now fighting each other. Multiple diplomatic efforts to broker a ceasefire and launch peace negotiations have failed. However, the roots of the violence in Darfur go back further, to conflicts between Arab nomads and African farmers over resources such as water and land. Twenty years ago, Arab militias on horseback, some of whom later became part of the RSF, attacked villages belonging to African ethnic groups such as the Massalit, Zaghawa, and Fur. Thousands of villages were destroyed, and there were widespread reports of sexual violence and massacres. In 2004, then-US secretary of state Colin Powell described the events in Darfur as genocide. In 2010, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an international arrest warrant for Sudan's then-president Omar al-Bashir for crimes against humanity in Darfur. Unlike today, Darfur received international attention at the time, with Hollywood stars such as George Clooney, Angelina Jolie and Mia Farrow making public appeals to "Save Darfur." History repeating itself? Now, history seems to be repeating itself. As early as summer 2023, there were reports of massacres targeting the Massalit ethnic group in West Darfur. Human rights groups have since repeatedly accused the RSF of torture, mass rapes and other crimes. Since the attack on Samsam in mid-April, there have been daily reports of dozens of deaths from shelling in Al-Fashir and surrounding villages. Al-Fashir, the last major city under government control and besieged by the RSF for a year, is of strategic importance. If the RSF captures Al-Fashir, they would control all of Darfur and could implement their plans to establish a parallel government there. Amnesty International demands action While many flee, those still in Sudan face "killings, summary executions, injury, rape, gang-rape, sexual slavery and other forms of sexual violence, torture and enforced disappearances and widespread looting – all amounting to war crimes and some of which may also amount to crimes against humanity," Amnesty International wrote in an appeal to the European Union to act. "Children have been caught in the crossfire of aerial bombardments and shelling, resulting in numerous casualties and impacting severely on their safety, education and well-being." Since the start of the war, access to independent and reliable information has been under pressure as journalists are targeted by both parties with (death) threats, violence and attacks, Amnesty noted in its open letter. Media infrastructure, including offices and equipment, has been looted, burned and deliberately destroyed. "Ethnically motivated killing, forced displacement and sexual violence by both parties have re-emerged, raising alarming parallels to the Darfur crisis of 2003-2005, when mass atrocities were committed against ethnic communities." The resurgence of these tactics heightens the risk of a return to the darkest days of Sudan's wars, when systematic ethnic cleansing and war crimes devastated entire communities. "Diplomatic efforts have failed to bring a change in the behaviour of the warring parties or end the violations," the NGO noted, adding Washington's suspension of foreign aid only amplified the "urgency for robust and timely diplomatic action." Meanwhile, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reports that sexual violence has become so widespread in the Darfur region that many people chillingly speak about it as unavoidable. "Women and girls do not feel safe anywhere. They are attacked in their own homes, when fleeing violence, getting food, collecting firewood, working in the fields. They tell us they feel trapped," MSF emergency coordinator Claire San Filippo says. "These attacks are heinous and cruel, often involving multiple perpetrators. This must stop."
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration declares killings in Sudan genocide
WASHINGTON, April 16 (UPI) -- As the death toll continues to mount in Sudan, the Trump administration on Wednesday for the first time characterized the atrocities in that North African country as genocide, reaffirming a designation made by the former Biden administration in January. "The Trump administration calls for accountability for the Rapid Support Forces for the genocide in Sudan, where they have murdered men and boys, and even infants on an ethnic basis, targeted fleeing civilians, and committed acts of brutal sexual violence against women and girls of other ethnic groups," a State Department spokesperson said in an email. Previously, the Trump administration had refused to directly acknowledge the determination of genocide against the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group. Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Jan 7 called the bloodshed in Sudan "the world's largest humanitarian catastrophe" when he declared it to be genocide. The Trump administration's acknowledgement comes a day after the two-year anniversary of the start of the Sudanese civil war between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces. According to the United Nations, the war has displaced 12.4 million people and fueled extreme famine. Nathaniel Raymond, executive director of Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab, which partnered with the State Department in its initial investigation in Sudan, said the Trump administration's affirmation was a major development, but much more needs to be done to stop the genocide. "The capacity for conducting foreign policy is so low within the U.S. State Department that we're just trying to figure out if the old policy still remains, because it hasn't been formally contradicted yet," Raymond said. "That's how low the bar is." The 1948 U.N. Genocide Convention defines genocide as "acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group." Raymond said the grounds for genocide in Sudan were established based on the el-Geneina massacre massacres committed in 2023, in which there were targeted arson attacks on more than 100 villages. "The U.S. has made a genocide determination as of January that genocide is occurring by the RSF against non-Arab African groups, primarily the Zaghawa, the Masalit and the Fur," Raymond said. Since 2023, the paramilitary group had continued targeting civilians, and most recently attacked camps for internally displaced refugees in North Darfur over the weekend. According to the U.N., 300 people were killed in that attack, including at least 23 children and 10 aid workers for Relief International. Since the Trump administration took office, the main policy initiatives addressing Sudan have been the shuttering of USAID relief programs, including emergency response rooms and soup kitchen feeding programs, according to Raymond. "When there are disruptions, even temporary, a week can mean the difference between life and death for populations in this state," Raymond said. "For a kid who is in a state we call SAM --- severe acute malnutrition -- losing one week of consistent nutrition can mean death." Raymond said Sudanese civilians are experiencing such extreme starvation that many are unable to survive the journey to escape violence. "They are so weak that they are walking over to the side of the road and dying," he said. Until last year, the United States also continued to sell weapons to the United Arab Emirates, which has supplied arms to the RSF. According to Politico, Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., "quietly blocked arms sales to the United Arab Emirates since late last year." Raymond said the sale of arms to the UAE violates the Leahy Law, which prohibits providing funds or assistance to foreign military units suspected of committing gross human rights violations. The International Court of Justice is currently hearing a case against the United Arab Emirates for complicity in genocide in Sudan. In addition to halting arms to the United Arab Emirates, Raymond said the United States could take a number of actions to fulfill its obligation to punish and deter genocide under the Genocide Convention. For example, the United States could place sanctions on the UAE for its role in arming the RSF. IT also could participate in future international diplomacy efforts, such as a recent ministerial meeting in the United Kingdom to work for an immediate cease-fire in Sudan. Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not attend. In addition, Raymond said, the United States could send a special envoy to relevant capitals, including Abu Dhabi, to address the genocide and announce that it is collecting intelligence and evidence to support accountability against those who are committing atrocities. Besides the temporary halting of arms sales by Meeks, the United States had not shown interest in taking any of those actions. Raymond said the United States was failing to adequately fulfill its obligation to prevent genocide, which could lead to history repeating itself. "Not only is the genocide happening. We are at the final battle of the Darfur genocide that began 20 years ago," Raymond said. "The consequence [of inaction] is that the RSF is in position to literally get away with completing the genocide that began with the Janjaweed 20 years ago."
Middle East Eye
14-02-2025
- Health
- Middle East Eye
RSF attack on Darfur's Zamzam camp leaves all supplies on verge of running out
Two days after a brutal ground attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Sudan's largest displacement camp has been left in complete ruins. Zamzam camp in North Darfur is home to nearly half a million people, most of whom are from the Zaghawa community and were displaced during the Darfur genocide two decades ago. On 11 February, RSF fighters reportedly entered the camp, armed with heavy weapons, artillery and firearms. The fighters opened fire on people in the camp, raided homes, looted shops and shelled the main market area, according to multiple media reports. The perpetrators eventually left the camp following fierce clashes with the Joint Forces, a coalition loyal to Sudan's army. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Another attack took place the following day, which was also later repelled by the Joint Forces. The RSF and Sudan's army have been at war since April 2023. The conflict has displaced more than 10 million people, and left over 12 million facing high levels of acute food insecurity. At least 31 people were killed and 81 wounded at Zamzam camp over the two days, a health ministry official said. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said it received seven people at its field hospital in Zamzam on Tuesday who were dead on arrival. 'Zamzam camp is being subjected to the most heinous attack by the Rapid Support Forces,' Mini Minawi, commander of his own army-aligned forces and governor of the Darfur region, wrote on X, accompanied by a video of the destruction. He added that belongings were burned, pastures destroyed and livestock 'unable to walk after gasoline was poured on them'. Kashif Shafique of Relief International said that if the situation in Zamzam camp did not change in the next two to three weeks, 'all food will run out'. He added that his organisation would also run out of medical supplies at its field hospital in the camp if routes were not opened. 'Ethnically motivated killings' Zamzam camp is located near al-Fasher, the only city in the Darfur region under the control of Sudan's army. The RSF has laid siege to the city since April, cutting off supply routes and attacking surrounding areas. Shayna Lewis, Sudan specialist at Avaaz, a US-based NGO, said the RSF likely violated international humanitarian law in its attack on Zamzam. 'The deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian objects is banned under IHL, and all belligerents must distinguish between combatants and non-combatants at all times,' Lewis said. 'Even if the RSF were pursuing military targets in the camp, the proportionality of such an attack is highly dubious. These attacks must be independently investigated and may constitute war crimes.' The damage to the camp was documented by the Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale's School of Public Health, using satellite imagery. It identified that the RSF had committed arson attacks and a ground incursion that razed 'nearly half of the main market in Zamzam'. Sources told Avaaz that civilians were struggling to flee Zamzam camp to find safety from the RSF's attack. 'Families in Zamzam are trying to hide themselves and trying to get out, but the RSF is going from door to door to find people, loot their belongings, and kill the men. We don't have news from Zamzam today,' said one source, in the nearby town of Tawila. The Zamzam camp in North Darfur's on 14 January 2025 and the same location on 13 February 2025 (top) showing heavy damage (Maxar Technologies/AFP) A report released last year by the Raoul Wallenberg Centre concluded that a genocide was taking place against non-Arab groups in Darfur, at the hands of the RSF and allied militias. It stated that there was "clear and convincing evidence" that Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, Libya, Chad, the CAR and Russia, via the actions of the Wagner Group, were "complicit in the genocide". How the UAE kept the Sudan war raging Read More » The Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, an advocacy group, said this week's attack was part of a pattern of ethnically motivated killings. 'The attack on Zamzam is not an isolated incident, but rather directly linked to the ongoing siege of el-Fasher and a wider pattern of the RSF systematically targeting non-Arab communities,' it wrote in a statement. 'Those with leverage over the RSF, including the United Arab Emirates, must urgently use their influence to pressure the group to halt its campaign of ethnically motivated killings, allow humanitarian access and commit to a ceasefire to prevent further atrocities.' MEE has reported on the network of supply lines that exist to funnel arms and other goods from the UAE to the RSF, via allied groups and governments in Libya, Chad, Uganda and the Central African Republic (CAR). The UAE has repeatedly denied providing military support to the RSF, but at the end of last year, outgoing Biden administration official Brett McGurk said that Emirati officials had promised to cease supplying the paramilitary group - a promise US officials do not believe the UAE has kept.
