November 12th: Civilian Protection is A Lifesaving Need in Sudan

Good morning. Thank you for the opportunity to brief you on the situation in Sudan today. Special thanks to UK Ambassador Woodward and Under Secretary Lord Collins for organizing this important briefing.  

I am speaking to you with agony and urgency, appealing for you to stand with the people of Sudan in their time of desperation and dire need. Today, more than eighteen months have passed, and the level of death and destruction escalates every day, bringing the suffering of civilians to a breaking point. 

The recent months have been the deadliest since the start of this vicious war, particularly in regions like El Fasher and Al Jazeera, where slaughter has reigned supreme. There are reports of mass killings, gang rapes, relentless, indiscriminate shelling of civilians carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and air bombing carried out by Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Civil society and local responders face escalating attacks, and experts monitoring the situation warn of impending mass atrocities and the real risk of genocide in El Fasher, Darfur. The looming threat of famine has grown as both sides have employed starvation as a weapon of war, with the RSF’s scorched earth tactics – evident by the persistent attacks in El-Fasher and the recent burning of over 40 villages in North Darfur. 

Widespread rape and murderous violence have been carried out at an alarming rate by the RSF. In Al Jazeera, the last two weeks have witnessed unspeakable atrocities inflicted on civilians. The shocking accounts of locals confirm that the brutality of rape has sadly forced over 130 women in an unprecedented move to commit mass suicide as an escape from further sexual violence. This should not- and must not- be the reality in a world governed by international laws designed to protect civilians. 

I appreciate the recent report submitted by the Secretary-General (SG) to the Security Council regarding civilian protection options. While the report was comprehensive in its coverage and the concern raised about the crises and the options it presented, I regret to note that the report has had serious shortcomings. Stating that peacekeeping deployment will not be successful without peace to keep, I beg to differ. The Secretary-General can agree with me that in a situation like the crisis in Sudan, where peace remains unattainable while people are dying in masses. Warring parties are unwilling to do so; the UN civilian protection forces become necessary to create an enabling environment for peace to be realized. Those additional protection measures, including support for locally-led humanitarian efforts, cannot be effective or sustainable without civilians’ protection and a strong UN presence on the ground in Sudan.

The targeted nature and the scope of the crimes

Attacks with similar patterns seen in El Geneina were duplicated in several cities and now in Elfasher city, precisely singling out cities occupied by a majority of indigenous African tribes. This demonstrates that RSF attacks are perpetrated with the intent to exterminate on ethnic bases, usually started by looting food storage, destroying markets and hospitals, stealing livestock and vehicles, and burning civilians’ homes. These attacks have forced people to flee into unsupported desert areas where survival is nearly impossible due to a lack of resources. Attacks were systematic in its nature and scope, echoing the 2003 genocidal attacks, but this time around, these attacks are more deadly. Why? The Janjaweed, once on camels and horses, are now uniformed militias equipped with Land Cruisers loaded with machine guns, advanced weapons, and technology. What used to be Arab militias have become well-established multinational troops supported by oil-rich regional and international actors seeking to dismantle Sudan. Another difference was that back then, people were attacked in remote villages, and they would flee to the cities where they could be hosted and supported by residents while awaiting humanitarian aid arrival. Today, those cities and internal displacement camps, once a safe haven, have now become primal targets for RSF attacks. Attacks on these locations leave survivors with only two grim choices: either stay and get killed or flee and face starvation. The results are either a mass killing or mass starvation; either way, they are dying, but the difference is dying in silence!

Excellencies, it is worth noting that before this crisis, Darfur was already home to over 122 internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, where 3 million people had resided for over two decades. They remain unable to return home, their lands stolen, and their attackers still unpunished. The international community’s inaction indirectly legitimizes the slaughter and extermination of Sudan’s indigenous African population- this is why we urgently need your help – and why you must make civilian protection in Sudan a priority.

The danger of  tweaking  the narrative 

Since the beginning of this war, the patterns have been exceedingly alarming. It is quite clear that the crisis in Sudan is not a civil war or traditional conflict as often described. It is the extension of the longstanding atrocities carried out in Darfur twenty years ago, which destroyed people’s lives and livelihoods and have yet to be addressed. It is a systemic and deliberate policy of mass atrocities committed against the powerless by the powerful on ethnic bases. The only difference is that it evolves, actors may change, but the strategies, the tactics, and the victims remain the same: it is a Scorch-earth campaign of genocidal attacks. 

But the problem is in the way we perceive and often talk about the crisis in Sudan. The narrative used often fails to capture the seriousness of the crimes. We believe it is imperative to use accurate narratives that match the scope and magnitude of crimes perpetrated on the ground today. Mischaracterizing the crisis as a “civil war” or a “conflict” may appear as a simple wording or grammatical tweak, but the consequences can be deadly. Under international laws, it is particularly crucial to name the actions precisely, as accurate terms determine the mechanisms and strategies needed for an adequate response. 

The current condition in  El Fasher exhibits patterns of horrifying massacres in El Geneina that are beyond dehumanization and are crimes of a global magnitude inflicted on the entire population. As you may remember, in June of last year, millions around the world watched in disbelief videos of brutal killing and degradation of dead bodies scattered in the streets of El Geneina while the RSF militia, along with their civilian relatives, were seen cheering in celebration. They happily said, “We have now  liberated the land from Abeed- an Arabic word for (slaves).” It’s no longer Dar Massalet (Dar- the homeland of), the RSF pronounced that the land will now be called the land of Arabs in the circulating videos. 

Many members of the Darfuri diaspora were forced to watch their families and friends killed, their bodies being degraded and dragged across the city, with racial slurs chanted in videos circulated online. Those who survived were terrified and escorted out of their homeland in an unprecedented, humiliating, and inhumane act of exodus and expulsion of dignified people by the powerful from the only place they had ever known as home. Never in our lifetime and throughout the lives of our predecessors have we seen criminals so emboldened to the level that they document their crimes and boast about it- believing that they will not be held accountable. We have never hoped to live to see such atrocities committed with such brutality and within the watch of the entire world – with little to no active response or attempt to halt it.

We are now seeing similar tactics in El Fasher; attacks are again precisely carried out, not in the military headquarters, but mainly directed toward residents and internally displaced camps housing survivors of the 2003 genocide who have never been allowed to go home. The Abushok Camp in El Fasher has received the most shelling throughout the escalated attacks in the city,  killing mostly women and children. There have also been numerous deliberate and systemic attacks by the RSF on all hospitals in El Fasher, including maternal hospitals and small neighborhood clinics- all of which house hundreds of patients. 

By allowing these atrocities of the past and present to continue – after outstanding resilience, survivors are slowly beginning to lose hope. Their resilience is gradually fading out, and incidents of suicide have skyrocketed, particularly among women and young men. This is evidenced by the recent incident of a mass suicide in Al Jazeera, driven by the loss of hope, a sense of abandonment, impunity, and, most importantly, the failure to uphold international laws, not only by the warring parties but by the good people like you – the member states who have the tools and have yet to leverage it to end the catastrophic suffering. Excellencies, I urge you and the people of Sudan look up to you -to take substantive action to reassure the people of Sudan not to lose hope in our international and regional institutions.

Just a year ago, I spoke before this council and warned you of the escalating dangers when the victims are left in the hands of their exterminator. 

For more than a year now, civilian deaths have escalated at an alarming rate, yet the world remains silent. Nine months ago, a report by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) confirmed that a child dies every two hours in Zamzam camp in North Darfur. Famine was declared six months ago in North Darfur and South Kordofan, and now in Al Jazeera. A year ago, the report by the UN Panel of Experts documented alarming atrocities and the persistent, indisputable violation of international laws. The UN Fact-Finding Mission has equally reinforced what we all have been warning you about; the facts are deemed beyond dangerous, and they are incredibly alarming. With the blockade of information and restriction of humanitarian access, what remains unknown is even worse.

Excellencies, The situation has become unbearable for the people of Sudan, but they have no options.  I ask you to think for a second outside of politics -about those dying in silence in Sudan today. They are not numbers; they are mothers, wives, daughters, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and innocent children – and I know you understand that we all have relatives and loved ones that we so dearly love and cherish- may god protect them. I want you to think of how it feels to be in my shoes– let alone have the courage to stand up and speak out every day and see no end in sight!  As I am speaking before you today, I still have hope and trust, and I count on the confidence that this institution bestowed upon you. I urge you to live up to this hope and the hopes of millions by enforcing international laws to save lives in Sudan.

The Presence of Multinational Militias  in Darfur

Eyewitnesses on the ground confirmed that the RSF had recruited a multi-national militia. While the majority of its troops are from Sudan, many more are alleged to have been lawless militias mobilized across seven neighboring countries. The introduction of cross-border uncontrolled troops alone proves to be a dangerous trend. In addition to the overflow of refugee crises, I wish to remind you that Sudan borders mostly fragile states struggling to restore or maintain stability. 

With the unrestricted flow of weapons and the history of terrorist activities from Sudan to the West Africa region, if left unchecked, those temporary militias in Sudan may evolve into regional extremist forces like ISIS or al-Qaeda, destabilizing the entire region, fueling crises that both international and regional actors will be forced to respond to- but by then it will be too late to contain them. Such a regional recruiting of troops from various countries equally makes control or a solution at the national level impossible. And this must also serve as a reminder and appeal to the African Union (AU) of the important role it must play in responding to the crisis in Sudan. The crisis in Sudan is not just Sudan’s issue but rather a regional and global catastrophe that needs collective effort from both regional and international actors to stop it.

Resolving Sudan’s crises needs an adequate approach.

Despite the longstanding crises, with atrocities and serious international crimes committed in Sudan, the international community continues to use the traditional conflict resolution mechanisms, which always enable the perpetrators to dictate the outcome of the process; this proves to be neither effective nor adequate in ending the crises or bringing a durable solution.

We believe in the face of genocide and unspeakable atrocities, the solutions to the crisis must take an atrocity-prevention approach that starts with civilian protection and the urgent delivery of lifesaving humanitarian aid. Then it must be followed by accountability for the most serious international crimes, which will then create an environment that enables inclusive, peaceful settlement and the transformation of Sudan. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, I appeal to you to take the crisis in Sudan and the urgent need for civilians’ protection seriously and act upon it. Therefore, I  implore you to take the following steps to protect civilians, save lives and prevent  regional collapse:

• The UN Security Council must swiftly authorize and deploy UN forces with a robust and strong mandate to protect civilians and to stop the horrific atrocities in Darfur and across Sudan, with special emphasis on safeguarding areas inhabitant by large numbers of IDPs and the Darfur border to stop the flow of weapons and cross-border militias.
• Pressure and obligate the warring parties to open unhindered humanitarian access in Sudan, Darfur, and Al Jazeera to reach all in need.
• Create proactive aid delivery mechanisms that include cross borders and airdropping channels that go through the Tina crossing, El Fasher Airport in Darfur, Kadogli South Kordofan, and al-Obeid airport, enabling aid through Port Sudan to reach Al Jazeera all the way to Kosti.
• Pursue accountability for those responsible for past and current serious international crimes such as genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur and across the Sudan.
• Impose targeted sanctions, such as assets freezing, travel bans on individuals obstructing aid and using starvation as a weapon of war, and sanctioning all businesses associated with the two warring generals in Sudan to cut the funding for weapons. 
• Recognize gender-based violence as a stand-alone criterion for sanctions against leaders of warring parties 
• Impose accountability measures over enablers- regional and international actors supplying weapons to the warring parties
• Expand the ICC jurisdiction to include crimes committed across Sudan

Thank you for your kind consideration

Sincerely,

Niemat Ahmadi, Founder and President, Darfur Women Action Group

Date: Nov 12, 2024