2023-11-12 20:20:57
The European Union (EU) says “appalled” It front of “credible testimonies” reporting “more than 1,000 dead” in just over two days in Darfur, western Sudan. “The latest atrocities appear to be part of a broader campaign of ethnic cleansing carried out by the RSF [Forces de soutien rapide, paramilitaires] with the objective of eradicating the non-Arab Masalit tribe from West Darfur”, declared the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell in a press release released on Sunday November 12. They come “to add to a first wave of large-scale violence” in June, he said.
Started on April 15, the war between the head of the army, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane, and the FSR of General Mohamed Hamdane Daglo left more than 9,000 dead, according to an estimate by the NGO Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (Acled), considered largely underestimated. It has displaced more than 4.8 million people inside Sudan and 1.2 million to neighboring countries, according to the UNHCR.
“Credible witnesses report more than 1,000 members of the Masalit tribe killed in Ardamata, West Darfur in just over two days, during large-scale attacks carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its affiliated militias », writes the European Union again. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) recently reported “more than 800 people” Who “would have been killed by armed groups in Ardamata”.
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The EU ” work “ notably “with the International Criminal Court to establish and document human rights violations to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable”, according to the press release. The belligerents “have a duty to protect citizens”she recalls.
The violence borders on “absolute evil”
“The international community cannot turn a blind eye to what is happening in Darfur and allow another genocide to occur in the region”warns Brussels, after that of the early 2000s. According to the UNHCR, Ardamata also housed a camp for displaced people, where nearly 100 shelters were razed.
Violence in Sudan is on the verge of “absolute evil”had alerted Clémentine Nkweta-Salami, UN humanitarian coordinator in the country, on Friday, expressing particular concern about attacks based on ethnicity in Darfur.
Asked about the risks of a repeat of the genocide of the early 2000s in this region, she said “very worried”. “We continue to hope that we do not end up on the same path”.
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