Sudan's El-Fasher Descends into "Even Darker Hell" as UN Condemns Mass Killings and Ethnic Cleansing
The city of el-Fasher, capital of North Darfur state in Sudan, has been plunged into chaos as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) take control, leaving hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped without food or essentials. United Nations officials have condemned the RSF's mass killings and ethnic cleansing, warning that the city has descended into a "darker hell" and calling for international intervention. The conflict, which began in April 2023, has already killed tens of thousands of people and displaced over 12 million.
Key Takeaways:
- The RSF has taken control of el-Fasher, forcing Sudan's army to withdraw from the city, and is responsible for mass killings, summary executions, and house-to-house searches.
- The UN Human Rights Office has received credible reports of widespread executions, rapes, mutilations, and killings with impunity.
- Over 36,000 people have fled el-Fasher since Saturday, largely on foot, to Tawila, a town already sheltering around 650,000 displaced people.
- The conflict has led to tens of thousands of deaths and over 12 million displaced people in the last year.
- The UN has called for an end to weapons supplies to parties in the conflict and has sanctioned two RSF generals for human rights abuses.
- Aid workers fear conditions in the region will worsen as internally displaced persons arrive from el-Fasher and food and medical supplies dwindle.
Statistics:
- Over 36,000 people have fled el-Fasher since Saturday.
- Around 650,000 displaced people are sheltering in Tawila.
- Over 12 million people have been displaced in the last year.
- Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict.
- 300 Colombians are fighting in the Sudanese war.
Sources:
- aljazeera.com
- United Nations
- International Organization for Migration
- Nonviolent Peaceforce
- Sudan's ambassador to the UN, Al-Harith Idriss Al-Harith Mohamed
- The Sudanese government
- The RSF