Since the outbreak of the conflict between the Rapid Support forces and the Sudanese army in the capital Khartoum in mid-April, the frequency of bloodshed, violence and displacement has increased, and the intensity of ethnic violence has escalated in El Geneina, a city in western Darfur near the border with Chad, the majority of perpetrators, about 78 percent of them were men dressed in the uniform of the Rapid Support Forces or armed members of these forces, "he said.

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Edited by| Hugh Gey

 

Humanity  section -  CJ journalist

 

El Geneina – September,14,2023

 

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The head of the United Nations Integrated Mission to support the transitional phase in Sudan (unitams) said that the Joint Office of the International Organization for Human Rights has received reliable reports of the presence of at least 13 mass graves in Al-jiniya in the Sudanese province of davur and surrounding areas.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in this regard earlier that the incidents of violence, and sexual violence in particular, "is only the tip of the iceberg.

Volker Peretz explained to the UN Security Council yesterday evening that the mass graves contain victims of attacks by the paramilitary "Rapid Support" forces and allied armed factions on civilians, mostly from the Masalit ethnic group.

"Unitams and other UN (missions) are documenting these violations and say that these acts may constitute war crimes if verified,"he said in a speech in which he also announced his resignation from his post.

On the same level, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk announced on Tuesday that ethnically motivated attacks committed by the Sudanese paramilitary "Rapid Support" forces and allied militias led to the death of hundreds in the state of West Darfur.

"In West Darfur, ethnically motivated attacks by the Rapid Support forces and allied Arab militias have led to the deaths of hundreds of non-Arab civilians, mostly from the Masalit communities,"Turk told the human rights council in Geneva.

"Such developments reflect a terrible past that must not be repeated," he added, referring to the deaths of up to 300 thousand people and the displacement of more than two million as a result of the conflict in Darfur between 2003 and 2008.

Turk explained that the recent attacks occurred mainly in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur state and located in the far west of Sudan, but they were also recorded in at least eight other locations, adding that the "Rapid Support" forces control all but two localities in West Darfur.

The RSF denies accusations by conflict monitors, human rights groups and witnesses that it is behind attacks on civilians and says any of its fighters found to be involved will be brought to justice.

Reported attacks against the non-Arab Masalit, the largest population in El Geneina, have caused tens of thousands to flee across the nearby border into Chad.

Turk also pointed to "worrying indications" of the involvement of militias, often grouped by classifications along tribal or ethnic lines.

The war in Sudan began four years after the popular uprising that overthrew former President Omar al-Bashir, and tensions between the army and the "Rapid Support" forces, who participated in the implementation of the 2021 coup, turned into fighting over a plan to integrate their forces into the transition to civilian rule, and several countries launched mediation efforts, but none of them succeeded in stopping the conflict.

 

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