Darfur Women Action Group is extremely alarmed by the disturbing news coming out from El Fasher, North Darfur. We are reaching out to you with an urgent appeal to seek your support to call on the US government and the United Nations Security Council to take serious action to protect civilians and avert the unfolding and deadly mass atrocities that are currently underway in El Fasher, North Darfur.
From the latest information on the ground, we just got the news that there is a huge mobilization among Arab tribes affiliated to the RSF to circle El Fasher and also mobilization from those rebel groups sided with SAF and interborder tribes from Chad and other parts of Darfur. There is already a blockade of fuel coming into the city and there are no water tankers operating to supply water for the large numbers of the Internal Displaced Person(IDP). The limited commercial food supply that used to come from Libya or Chad is now blocked from reaching those in need, isolating civilians from all survival means. People are already dying and all indicators point out the fact that the RSF is preparing for a new decisive attack on El Fasher and try to wipe out not only the SAF forces and the existence of African tribes who sought refuge there. The situation in El Fasher, if allowed, will be beyond any one can imagine.
The city of El Fasher is currently housing over 2.8 civilians, most of whom have been displaced 20 years ago during the Darfur Genocide. With the start of the war last April in Sudan, the capital city of North Darfur has received hundreds of thousands of Internally displaced People(IDP). Most of them have to reside without proper shelters by living in schools, shade of trees and makeshift camps. El Fasher now is the only IDP haven left in the entire Darfur region, an area the size of France, and is now facing a new round of brutal attacks and confrontation between the SAF and RSF, who are actively mobilizing fighters in an effort to take over and have full control of the city. The imminent fights will endanger the lives of thousands of innocent civilians.
In the last several weeks the city and its surrounding areas have witnessed a campaign of terror. Just last week the RSF, in an attempt to enter El Fasher, burned about 10 neighboring villages and left thousands without food, shelter or any other humanitarian assistance. During the month of Ramadan, the UNSC tried to call a ceasefire, urged the parties to respect the resolution, and to allow humanitarian aid reach those in need. However, neither party stopped fighting, instead the fighting sharply intensified. While the RSF is attacking, looting properties and burning villages. SAF is launching airstrikes mostly targeting civilian homes, public services and civilian infrastructure. Their negligence of their responsibility to protection imposed untold suffering and forced Darfuri people to die in silence .
Despite the many ceasefire declarations the warring parties in Sudan have yet to stop the killing or allow humanitarian aid to reach those in need. In doing so they are violating international human rights and humanitarian law, with total disregard to human life, for which the UNSC must hold them into account. Particularly, the RSF is intensifying its targeting on civilians everyday. Between March 31 and April 15, 2024, at least nine communities west of El Fasher have been razed by apparent arson attacks. Moreover, Since April 15, 2023, the RSF and aligned forces continue to commit widespread, systematic, and targeted attacks on civilian communities across Darfur, specifically targeting black African Masalit, Fur, Zaghawa communities. The paramilitary group, which evolves from the Janjaweed force that was mainly responsible for the carrying out the genocide in Darfur two decades ago, due to impunity and inaction from the international community, has been emboldened, as they does not shy from their true motive in raging this war, that they want to cleanse the inferior seeds of indigenous Africans from the Darfur area. The attacks that target villages around El Fasher have resulted in an estimated of over 40, 000 newly displaced civilians to the city. If these escalating attacks are allowed to take place, it will be a repeat of the mass murder that took place in El Geneina, West Darfur last November where over 10000 Masalit and other indigenous Africans were massacred.
Therefore, we call on the international community to take immediate actions.
- We urgently call on the United States, African Union and the United Nations Security Council to immediately authorize civilian protection forces to protect the vulnerable displaced people who are suffering from hunger and malnutrition.
- The United States, the UNSC members, the African Union and all other regional powers, have the responsibility to hold those who violate the international human rights and humanitarian laws into account.
- The US, the UNSC and the AU must support unhindered access and delivery of humanitarian aid to people in need with or without the persimmon of the warring parties.
In the face of genocide and mass atrocities we must tell our leaders not turn a blind eye to the slaughter. They must take collective actions to address the worst humanitarian crisis in human history, hold those responsible accountable and bring peace and justice to the suffering people of Darfur and Sudan.
Please join our voice to call on the US, the UNSC and African Union to take swift action.
Only with our collective effort can we make a difference.
Thank you for standing up and speaking up for the people of Sudan
Sincerly,
Niemat Ahmadi and DWAG Team
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