Category: Statements

The people of Darfur are facing an unprecedented death and destruction as the result of airstrike and confrontation between Sudanese Armed Forces(SAF) and Rapid Support Forces(RSF) in and around major cities in North Darfur. The most horrifying incident was reported to have been carried out last night in the city of Kabkabiya, North Darfur, a birth home of DWAG President .

 

On Mar. 31st, at 2am,  civilians in Kabkabiya City reported that their sleep was cut short by the horrific sound of air bombardment that targeted the city-center,  destroyed several homes, and killed two people. A young mother and her infant were immediately pronounced dead and several members of their family were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Four others were reported seriously injured too. The attack completely destroyed one of the oldest schools in the city, several civilian homes and hit part of the only operating hospital in the city that serves over 300,000 across the entire province. Many in the diaspora had a long night, including DAWG president Ms. Ahmadi who failed to reach their families due to the blockade of internet and phone services. The attack in Kabkabiya was not an isolated incident but its part of the ongoing campaign of killing civilians form both warring parties which is happening in Darfur, Kordfofan and El Gezira state.

 

Many attacks were carried out in the last two weeks, where the Sudanese Armed Forces(SAF) has launched  a new phase of air strikes against  paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces(RSF). However most of the strikes have targeted residential areas and innocent civilians, which have destroyed at least dozens of local houses and inflicted great casualties.

 

On  Mar 10th, the beginning of the traditional Muslim holiday Ramadan, the paramilitary RSF launched attacks on 28 villages in El Gezira state during the first five days of the holy month, resulting in the deaths of at least 43 people and forcing numerous families to flee their homes.

 

On Mar, 22, in West Kordofan and El Gezira states, at least a dozen civilians have been reported killed and many more wounded, in ongoing airstrikes and ground battles between SAF and RSF. According to local sources, the victims were mostly women and children. While some of the deaths were caused by airstrikes from the government, others were due to RSF pillage. The soldiers would come to the villages, shoot whoever resisted, looted people’s houses, cars, and money.

 

On Sunday, March 24, 2024, SAF airstrike in Darfur, mainly targeted civilians inhabitant areas in El Fasher, the capital city of the Darfur region. Meanwhile, on Saturday, Mar 23, two women were killed, and others were injured in the city’s El Gubba neighborhood as a result of an exchange of artillery shelling between the SAF and the RSF. In addition, on Mar, 25, nine more civilians were killed, and 14 others were injured, most of whom were children, in an air raid on El Fasher early in the morning, the second attack by the Sudanese Air Force on the city within 24 hours.

 

Most of the casualties went unreported due to lack of access to communication services and many more people died due to lack of access to emergency assistance. They were forced to die in silence while the world was watching.

The killing of civilians in Darfur has been allowed to go on for far too long and it is utterly unacceptable. While RSF has been actively committing genocide against indigenous African, SAF has actively perpetrated war crimes and crimes against humanity both punishable under international laws. They further restrict access to humanitarian aid, block access to communication and use starvations as a tool of killing and torture. The international community must hold the RSF and SAF accountable for the horrors and crimes inflicted on helpless civilians in Sudan. DWAG stands in solidarity with the families of those who are impacted and strongly condemn SAF and RSF for their blatant attacks against civilians and violation of all international human rights and humanitarian laws.

 

These attacks don’t only take lives of innocent civilians, but further constrain the delivery of humanitarian and emergency assistance to those in desperate need.  It’s quite disturbing that these attacks have been going on for a year now and there is no sign of change. These attacks have forced all humanitarian aid out, isolated the people of Sudan and had gravely endangered their lives every day. There must be actions that put an end to these man made suffering inflicted against the innocent civilians in Sudan and hold the SAF and RSF accountable for their crimes.

 

For over a year the Sudanese people were left alone to fend for themselves and once again, they have shown the world their great resilience and bravery during the time of the worst crisis in the world today. However, now their resilience and their ability to persevere without protection and humanitarian aid will not hold any longer.

 

While the situation in Sudan remained the most dangerous and tragic in its scale and magnitude, powerful world leaders such as president Bieden chose to remain silent, which has sent a wrong signal to the perpetrators that they can continue their campaign of destruction without any consequences, we must speak up and change this.

 

Now it is the time for the world to take serious and effective measures to respond and support the brave people of Sudan. DWAG calls on  the international community, particularly the United  States as the leading government in the world  and  the United Nation Security Council, to take collective actions to address the crisis without delay. The Sudanese people cannot wait any longer. Every second, every minute, and every hour, there are men, women and children dying.  Men are killed from airstrikes, women horrified by sexual violence, and children dying from extreme hunger and malnutrition. The people need urgent protection and  humanitarian aid to survive and we need pressure on the warring parties to stop their targeting against civilians.

 

Therefore, DWAG call on the US, the other UNSC members, and the international community to take the following steps to end the war in Sudan and save lives:

 

• Urgent intervention for civilian protection to stop the war.
• Establish unhindered channel for the humanitarian aid to reach those in urgent need with or without the permission of the warring parties, including air drop and cross border assistance
• Pursue accountability of those who were responsible for the mass atrocities and war crimes.
• Take an effective atrocities prevention approach to the crisis in Sudan

 

DWAG calls on the US government, UNSC and stakeholder working on Sudan to take this four- step atrocity prevention approach which centers on civilian protection, unhindered humanitarian aid , and accountability for these heinous crimes. We equally call on our supporters to join our voices to speak up for and stand with the people of Sudan. They do not deserve to die in silence and we must not let the world look the other way.

 

With our collective effort we can make a difference

 

Thank you for your continued support.

 

Niemat Ahmadi, Founder and President of DWAG

And the DWAG Team.

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Statement by Ms. Niemat Ahmadi

UN Security Council Open Debate on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence

23 April 2024

 

President, Excellencies, civil society colleagues,

Thank you for the opportunity to address the Security Council today on conflict-related sexual violence. My name is Niemat Ahmadi, and I am the president and founder of Darfur Women Action Group. As a survivor of the Darfur genocide, I founded this organization in 2009 to empower survivors, both in Sudan and in the diaspora, and to prevent future atrocities.

Today, I would like to recognize the resilience of the women of Sudan—their stories of unspeakable suffering are only surpassed by accounts of their courage and determination.

It has been more than one year since Sudan was engulfed in vicious violence. While the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are still occupying and looting civilian homes, using sexual violence, including rape and sexual slavery, as a tactic of war, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) are launching heavy artillery shelling, air strikes, and indiscriminate attacks mainly targeting civilian homes, markets, bridges, essential public services, and evacuation routes with no respect for human life. The cycle of violence in Sudan exhibits a total disregard for international law, and may amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

The conflict has so far killed between 10,000 to 15,000 people in El Geneina alone, left over 10 million displaced, and condemned 18 million—over one third of Sudan’s population—to starvation, with the UN warning that Sudan will soon become the “world’s worst hunger crisis.” These statistics are just the tip of the iceberg—the number of casualties is sadly underreported as it has been unsafe to collect data in the middle of the crisis. The conflict has ravaged Darfur, Khartoum, and the Kordofan states. The recent violent takeover of central Sudan and assault in El Fasher risk devastating consequences for civilians and could lead to deadly mass atrocities.

The war has had devastating consequences for women. Thousands of women have been killed. Of the 25 million people facing a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, women are particularly impacted. Women also comprise up to 70 percent of internally displaced people (IDPs).

Rape and other forms of gender-based violence are a defining feature of the current war in Sudan. In January, the UN Panel of Experts on Sudan reported widespread and escalating conflict-related sexual violence in Darfur, including kidnapping, rape, and sexual exploitation of women and girls. The report underlined sexual violence committed by members of the RSF and allied militias in all areas under their control and the targeting of women due to their Masalit ethnicity. This report has only confirmed the horrific accounts of sexual violence we have been hearing about for months against women from the Masalit, Fur, and Zagawa tribes, particularly in IDP camps. Some women have been told by their attackers that they should be happy that now “they will have an Arab child”. These atrocities, combined with incidents such as the recent massacre in Ardamata, West Darfur, indicate a clear pattern of ethnic targeting of the Masalit people and other African tribes.

Excellencies, I am haunted by the horrific reports of sexual violence that I hear every day. One that shattered my heart and shocked me to the core was that of Noura, who endured gang rape at only 12 years old, leaving her in critical condition. Her family, struggling to survive, had to make an impossible decision: either to seek treatment for her or to feed her youngest sibling. Hearing this, Noura looked up in tears, and told her mother she no longer wanted to live. These are choices that no family should ever have to make, and no child should ever have to endure.

Noura’s story is one of too many. Women and girls have been raped multiple times, sometimes in front of their fathers, husbands, and sons in an effort to break their will and destroy their dignity. These women and girls have no protection, no access to humanitarian or medical assistance, and nowhere to turn for help. Attacks on medical facilities, restrictions on communications and deliberate obstruction of humanitarian aid delivery by the warring parties are making it even more challenging for survivors to access life-saving services, including sexual and reproductive health services. We hear that there are less than a dozen obstetricians and gynecologists left working in Khartoum. Further, the fear of retaliation for speaking up has made it impossible for many survivors to come forward.

Yet despite these risks, grassroots and women-led organizations continue to be the lifeline for their people. They are helping their communities, documenting atrocities, and ensuring that the international community keeps its eyes on Sudan. It is indeed their bravery that draws the bold line between hope and despair.

But they cannot do it much longer without your help.

Excellencies, this Council must not remain silent as the inhuman acts I have just described continue with total impunity. It is worth noting that without the spread of weapons, the levels of sexual violence we are currently seeing in Sudan would never have occurred. As the Panel of Experts reported to you, the warring parties in Sudan and their external sponsors have continued to violate the Security Council’s arms embargo on Darfur. And as Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo told you on Friday, this is illegal, immoral, and it must stop. Yet, the Security Council has thus far failed to explicitly condemn these violations, or taken any action to stop the actors abusing it. Unless the Security Council calls out those who undermine the measures it has put in place, you are signaling to perpetrators that they can continue to violate international law without consequences. Ending impunity in Sudan for past and present crimes, including crimes against women, must be a priority for the Security Council if we are ever to achieve sustainable peace in Sudan.

I urge the Security Council to:

• Demand that all parties commit to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, stop the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and enable full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access, in accordance with international humanitarian law.
• Demand that all parties immediately cease all acts of sexual and gender-based violence, and hold perpetrators accountable.
• Prioritize the creation of a new, well equipped and stronger UN presence on the ground for assuring civilian protection and humanitarian operations across Sudan and documenting violations of international law.
• Ensure that women’s rights are central to all criminal accountability processes. Make violation of women’s rights, and all forms of sexual and gender-based violence, an explicit criterion for imposing sanctions.
• Maintain and enforce the current arms embargo in Darfur and expand it to the whole of Sudan and to all parties to the conflict.
• Demand and support the full, equal, safe and meaningful participation of Sudanese women in all de-escalation, peacebuilding, humanitarian and justice and accountability efforts, and all political processes regarding the future of Sudan.

Excellencies,

Two decades ago, when this Council first began to grapple with genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, you did what was right. You mobilized humanitarian assistance, referred the situation to the International Criminal Court, set up a peacekeeping mission to protect the vulnerable, created a sanctions regime to designate and hold responsible those who violate international law, and imposed an arms embargo where it was needed. Now, there is no UN mission left in the country, no new individuals have been listed under the sanctions regime and your arms embargo is both limited and being flouted with impunity. In this current context, we see little solidarity with the people of Sudan.

For more than 23 years, we have heard your promises to uphold women’s rights and to end conflict-related sexual violence. Regrettably these promises have yet to be realized. I reiterate today: all violations of women’s rights, regardless of perpetrator and wherever they occur, deserve your condemnation and warrant action and accountability. Be it in Gaza or in Israel, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Myanmar, in Afghanistan or the many other conflicts where women pay the price of war. The international community’s failure to act in my country, Sudan, and in all these other contexts should be a stain on our collective conscience. Only you have the power to change this. Please act now. Thank you.

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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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The Darfur Women’s Action Group (DWAG) strongly condemns the horrific and indiscriminate attacks that have taken place in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, from Saturday, July 27 to Monday, July 29, 2024. These brutal assaults, carried out by the paramilitary Rapid Support

Forces (RSF), have led to the tragic deaths and injuries of at least 97 civilians, targeting essential public infrastructure including hospitals, residential buildings, and places of worship.

 

According to local authorities, the acting Wali (governor) of North Darfur, El Hafiz Bakhit, has described the situation as “a true massacre,” with shells hitting public buildings, hospitals, and mosques. Particularly appalling was the bombardment of the Specialized Hospital for Women and Maternity, which suffered over 10 direct hits, yet remains the only operational hospital in the city. On Monday afternoon, RSF shelling of the Saudi Hospital resulted in the deaths of three

companions of patients, extensive damage to hospital wards, and additional casualties in the nearby Islamic complex, including at least three children. For over eight hours, the citizens of El Fasher endured relentless artillery fire, subsequently leading to the closure of markets and cessation of transportation.

 

The unconscionable violence resulted in the deaths of 97 individuals, including 43 children and 13 women, over three days. This violation of international humanitarian law demands immediate and decisive international action. Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, condemned these “indiscriminate” attacks, stressing that civilian infrastructure, such as hospitals and markets, should never be targeted. However, despite international outcry, effective action to safeguard civilians and restore peace remains insufficient.

 

For the past months, El Fasher has been encircled by armed groups with severe restrictions imposed on movement along key roads out of the city, effectively trapping families within the city. At the same time, a severe lack of humanitarian access and an inability to deliver commercial goods due to insecurity have led to a scarcity of essential services and skyrocketing

costs for food, water, and fuel. As such, the shellings in El Fasher pose a major catastrophe, endangering the lives and well-being of about 750,000 children in the city, and potentially millions more.

 

Since the outbreak of conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF in April 2023, Sudan has faced unprecedented levels of displacement and humanitarian distress. Over 10 million people have been displaced, with the healthcare system in critical condition due to 88 documented attacks on medical facilities. Vulnerable populations, particularly children, are suffering from severe malnutrition and lack of access to essential medical care. With over 330,000 people facing acute food insecurity in El Fasher, the situation is dire and compounded by restrictions on movement and a severe lack of humanitarian access.

 

We urge the international community to carry out swift and decisive intervention to prevent further atrocities in Darfur. Every hour without resolute action is another hour of suffering for the Sudanese people. We implore the international community to take the following steps to end the suffering and hold criminals responsible:

• Open unhindered humanitarian aid channels across Sudan to reach all those in need
• Urge U.S. leaders and the international community to lead a robust intervention to protect civilians, and to stop ethnic-based killings throughout Sudan
• Hold the regional enablers of the atrocities accountable, including regional and international actors like the U.A.E that are supplying funds and weaponry to the RSF
• Impose targeted sanctions on individuals, such as freezing assets, imposing travel bans sanctioning all businesses associated with the two warring generals in Sudan, and cutting the funding for weapons
• Pursue accountability for those most responsible for past and current genocide crimes, war crimes, and crimes against humanity committed in Sudan
• Provide support for women and civil society from historically marginalized Sudanese in order for their voices to be heard at all levels of the decision-making processes regarding solutions to the current crises

The time for condemnation alone is over; now is the time for concerted and meaningful intervention.

Thank you for your continued support! Stay tuned for more opportunities to take action. With Gratitude,

Niemat Ahmadi, DWAG president

And DWAG team

Today, on World Humanitarian Day, Darfur Women Action Group (DWAG) would like to draw attention to the worst humanitarian crises in Sudan and stand in solemn recognition of the courageous efforts of humanitarian workers around the globe, particularly those risking their lives in the conflict zones of Sudan. We wish to take this opportunity to call on the United Nations Security Council to make the protection of civilians and the protection of humanitarian workers in conflict zones, particularly in Sudan, an urgent priority. DWAG would also like to recognize the locally based Sudanese volunteers who have become front-line humanitarian workers without preparation or protection,  fiercely delivering aid and helping their communities survive every day.  Many have been killed, wounded, and prosecuted simply because of their life-saving work and they must be protected.  

 

The humanitarian crisis in Sudan is a stark reminder that the international community’s commitment to protecting civilians and providing life-saving assistance must be unwavering. Across Sudan, around 25 million people— over half the country’s population— urgently need humanitarian assistance, with 48% of them being children. For many, humanitarian workers are their last hope. Yet, humanitarian access has been severely compromised by ongoing violence,  targeted attacks on aid workers, and famine that kills every day. The deliberate use of starvation as a weapon of war, flooding that obstructs escape routes, and blockades of major supply lines into besieged cities such as El Fasher have escalated the suffering of millions. 

 

The ongoing conflict, now 16 months long, has devastated civilian infrastructure. Over 75% of health facilities in conflict-affected states are non-functional, and since April 2023, 88 attacks on healthcare—including workers, facilities, and ambulances—have resulted in at least 55 deaths and 104 injuries. In Darfur, women flee hundreds of miles seeking safety from sexual violence, parents despair as they struggle to feed their children, and children are forced to leave home to escape indiscriminate shelling amidst intense flooding because even the refugee camps are under attack.

 

In 2023, Sudan became the second most dangerous place in the world for humanitarians, with at least 22 aid workers killed. The situation in Sudan is dire. Humanitarian workers in the region are facing unprecedented challenges as they strive to deliver aid amidst escalating violence and systemic obstruction. Despite these hurdles, they continue to serve those in need with extraordinary courage and dedication, stepping up where the international community has failed. Their efforts are critical, but they cannot replace the need for urgent, decisive action from global leaders to address the root causes of this crisis and ensure that humanitarian aid reaches all those in need. It is our leaders’ duty to uphold international humanitarian laws and serious measures for their protection worldwide— today and every day.

 

DWAG stands firmly by humanitarian workers and the people whose suffering they alleviate. To continue their life-saving work, they need not just our support, but yours as well. It is clear that much more funding is needed for humanitarian assistance. It is also clear that, no matter what, DWAG will continue to raise awareness of the conflict in Sudan and amplify the voices of the afflicted as warring parties try to silence them through killings, rape, starvation, and intimidation.

 

Thanks to our donors and supporters, our DWAG team in Sudan has been able to distribute life-saving emergency relief to refugees arriving in South Sudan. We will continue to deliver assistance where we can to vulnerable people in Darfur. We will not stand back in the face of horrifying death and suffering. The world cannot afford to turn a blind eye— keep your eyes on Sudan!

 

Thank you for your continued support. Stay tuned for more updates and opportunities to take action.

 

With Gratitude, 

Niemat Ahmadi, DWAG President

The DWAG Team

Dear Secretary of State Blinken and members of the mediation team,

Darfur Women Action Group (DWAG) and the undersigned Sudanese women civil society leaders, activists, refugees, and displaced persons in the diaspora and Sudan, extend our gratitude to you and the

U.S. government for taking steps to address the suffering of the Sudanese people. We are writing to you now with urgency to sound the alarm on the escalating violence, increased severe humanitarian crisis, and the critical need for civilian protection in Darfur and across Sudan. Today’s crisis, fueled by long-standing impunity and inaction regarding crimes committed in Darfur over the past two decades, demands immediate intervention. We urge the U.S. government and all stakeholders to take robust action to deliver desperately needed lifesaving humanitarian aid and authorize UN-led forces to protect civilians before it is too late.

Sudan has been engulfed in a vicious war that has brought untold suffering to the women, men, and children of Sudan. Since April 2023, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have been engaged in a senseless war and have committed heinous crimes against the people of Sudan, including crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide. The violence, which began in Khartoum, rapidly escalated across the country, with Darfur experiencing the most devastating atrocities, including the ethnic slaughter of the Masalit and other indigenous African communities. While the RSF continues to occupy, indiscriminately shell and loot civilians’ homes, by using rape, sexual and gender-based violence as a tactic of war, the SAF are employing heavy artillery shelling, air strikes, and indiscriminate attacks mainly targeting civilians’ homes, markets, essential public services, and evacuation routes. Women and girls as young as 10 years of age have been abducted and raped numerous times, sometimes, in front of their families in an attempt to break the families’ will and destroy their dignity.

In addition, the deliberate targeting of humanitarian workers and local volunteers in Darfur is extremely concerning, as it has severely undermined aid operations and put millions of people at high risk of starvation. Both warring parties have employed starvation as a weapon of warfare against innocent civilians by blocking humanitarian access. As a result, over 10 million people are displaced within Sudan, trapped with nowhere to go, many dying in silence. It is estimated that more than 2 people million have fled the country as refugees, living in deplorable conditions in neighboring countries, lacking even the most basic means of survival. The UN has warned that over 26 million Sudanese are facing acute hunger, with famine already declared in Darfur, where hundreds are dying in displacement camps with no shelter, as the rainy season and increasing flood have exacerbated their suffering beyond description.

We are saddened and appalled by the lack of international attention and action on Sudan. When the war erupted and aid agencies fled, our people were left to fend for themselves amid the brutality. It was the women, youth, civil society in Sudan, and the diaspora who have taken on the challenge of helping our people survive, but it has become nearly impossible due to insecurity and restrictions imposed by both sides. For 16 months, we have been dehumanized, forced to witness our families being slaughtered, trapped, and left to die in silence. Recent attacks in El Jazeera and Sinar States have devastated the lives of hundreds of thousands, with the RSF killing civilians, looting properties, and seizing control of grain warehouses, further exacerbating the suffering of those forced to flee during the heavy rainy season.

The siege and escalated attacks in El Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur, have resulted in some of the deadliest mass atrocities. The severe restrictions on movement, the blockade of medical supplies brought by aid groups, and widespread insecurity, have led to a scarcity of essential services and skyrocketing costs of food, water, and fuel. RSF fighters have burned over forty villages surrounding El Fasher, intentionally crippling the food supply and increasing vulnerability as part of a deliberate tactic to exacerbate civilian suffering. RSF bombardment of all three hospitals and the last two clinics in El Fasher, while patients were still inside, with over 900 patients now left with no medical attention, highlights the severity of the crisis. According to UNICEF, at least seventy-seven hospitals across Sudan have come under attack since the war began, though the true number is likely far higher. These actions are clear violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, and perpetrators must be dealt with accordingly.

The crisis in Sudan is of a global magnitude and requires a global response. As the U.S.-led negotiations on Sudan’s civil war approach on August 14, 2024, the international community must prioritize the urgency facing the Sudanese people rather than prolong negotiations. Both warring parties, led by Sudanese generals, have repeatedly promised a cessation of hostilities but have failed to honor ceasefire agreements since the conflict began. The U.S. and stakeholders in Geneva must use this meeting to bring together the coalition of those willing to collectively intervene and save civilian lives before it is too late. We, therefore, urge you to take the following steps to swiftly end the crisis in Sudan:

1. The U.S. and its allies in Geneva must demand that the warring parties issue a public call on their troops to stop attacks, adhere to immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities, end the siege on El Fasher and all other cities, and generally halt the killing across Sudan.
2. The warring parties must halt all attacks against women and humanitarian workers.
3. The warring parties must agree to women’s participation by no less than 50% in all aspects of the peace process, including ceasefire negotiations, peacekeeping operations, and other processes related to the resolution of the conflict.
4. Call for the immediate deployment of UN-led forces under Chapter VII to protect civilians in conflict zones of Sudan to prevent further atrocities against vulnerable populations.
5. Publicly recognize the use of starvation as a weapon of warfare in Sudan to prevent further loss of life and ensure that unhindered humanitarian aid reaches those in desperate need, particularly in El Fasher, Central Sudan, and Sinar areas.
6. Call on countries that violate the existing sanctions or arms embargoes against Sudan to stop and they must, subsequently, face accountability
   
7. Impose travel bans and other sanctions as punitive measures on parties that refuse to end the violence or allow humanitarian aid.

Thank you for your kind consideration. With Gratitude,

Niemat Ahmadi, DWAG President

For the safety of those involved, the list of the other 100 signatories has been removed.