Sudan: UN 'concerned' about possible 'crimes against humanity' in Darfur

While a Sudanese official said on Tuesday (June 13th) that General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan refuses to sit at the same table as his rival Mohamed Hamdane Daglo, known as "Hemedti", the head of the UN mission in Sudan considered that the violence in the Darfur region (West), could constitute "crimes against humanity". The NGO Doctors Without Borders also report an unprecedented level of violence.

The violence in Darfur is reaching an alarming stage, according to the UN, which may constitute "crimes against humanity", including in El-Geneina, here on April 29, 2023 after fighting. © AFP

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As the situation in Darfur continues to deteriorate, I am particularly concerned about the situation in El-Geneina (Western Darfur) where violence has taken on ethnic dimensions. " said in a statement the UN envoy to Sudan Volker Perthes. "The large-scale attacks against civilians, based on their ethnic origins, allegedly committed by Arab militias and armed men in RSF [Rapid Support Forces, General "Hemedti" - Editor's note] uniforms are very worrying and, if proven, could constitute crimes against humanity," he warned.

Conflicts in Sudan are concentrated mainly in the capital Khartoum and Darfur. In this region, local militias, tribal fighters and armed civilians have joined the clashes. While several truces have not been implemented, NGOs report a deteriorating humanitarian situation in Khartoum and Darfur.

In Geneina, there is an emerging pattern of targeted attacks against civilians on ethnic basis allegedly committed by Arab militias and some men in RSF uniform. If verified, these attacks could amount to crimes against humanity.
See my complete statement: https://t.co/Z9jBsS3rDo

— Volker Perthes (@volkerperthes) June 13, 2023

Last week, the Sudanese government declared Volker Perthes persona non grata, accusing it of being biased in the conflict. But Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary-general, said his status remained "unchanged".

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) adviser and Sudan expert Jérôme Taubiana also reported accounts of unprecedented violence.

Since El-Geneina, many people have fled Darfur to Chad, especially. These refugees, more than 100,15 since the beginning of the conflict in Sudan on 80 April, are the ones whose testimonies have begun to reveal a situation of extreme violence. In the Médecins Sans Frontières hospital in Adré, just across the border, <> wounded were also treated and wounded by small arms bullets. They report militia violence on villages, villages that are burned, looting of houses, rape as well. And those who have time to cross the border may also face violence from militias positioned on the border that prevent them from crossing. So there are certainly also a lot of deaths, but we don't know how many.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) adviser and Sudan expert Jérôme Taubiana also shared accounts of unprecedented violence.

Pauline Le Troquier

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What happens in El-Geneina and Kutum (further east) must lead to an international investigation " said Saturday on Twitter the governor of Darfur Minni Minnawi, a former rebel leader now close to the army.

For Jérôme Tubiana, this situation is not only a reflection of the current struggle of the two generals for power in Khartoum: it also reflects the continuity of the cycle of violence that has affected the region since the war in Darfur in 2003.

For Jérôme Tubiana, the situation in Darfur also reflects the continuity of the cycle of violence that has affected the region since the war in 2003.

Pauline Le Troquier

In the early 2000s, General "Hemedti", head of the Janjaweed militia, led the scorched earth policy in Darfur on the orders of then-dictator Omar al-Bashir. The war had left about 300,000 dead and nearly 2.5 million displaced, according to the UN. The Janjaweed officially gave birth in 2013 to the RSF, paramilitary auxiliaries of the army.

Generals al-Burhane and "Hemedti" had joined forces during the 2021 putsch to oust civilians with whom they had shared power since Bashir's fall in 2019. But differences then emerged and, in the absence of agreement on the integration of the RSF into the army, degenerated into war.

>> Read also: Sudan, the descent into hell

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• Sudan
• UN
• Abdel Fattah al-Burhan