Sudan Updates: Death, Destruction and Deadly Famine in Sudan

Across Sudan, the unfathomable suffering of civilians continues past the breaking point as they are brutally targeted by both warring parties. In Darfur, both the SAF and RSF have unleashed unspeakable violence on already vulnerable displaced populations, bombing IDP camps and urban centers with weapons of mass destruction. The RSF’s continued siege and fight for control over North Darfur is worsening a man-made famine that is now starving hundreds of thousands of innocent people as the genocidal militia continues its ethnic cleansing campaign. In North Kordofan, the RSF escalated its terror campaign with a horrifying assault on El-Obeid during Eid, killing a child and injuring several others. Meanwhile in Khartoum, the SAF’s return to power has proven deadly for civilians as the army has carried out gruesome mass executions and facilitated a rise in ethnic hatred. As the war and genocide progesses, it is more important than ever that the international community acts today to put an end to the mass death being inflicted on the Sudanese people. Here are the deadly acts of violence that occurred in Sudan last week.

Darfur

Over the past month, it has become clear that death and destruction in Darfur have reached beyond its breaking point. Darfur is horrifyingly facing the last stage of its genocide and extermination of its Indigenous African population. 

• On March 29th, the SAF unleashed a horrific strike on the Shangil Tobaya IDP camp in North Darfur, injuring 5 people and leaving dozens terrified.
• On March 30th, the holy day of Eid al-Fitr, the RSF used a weapon of mass destruction, killing 9 people and injuring 17 more in a deadly airstrike on El Fasher in North Darfur. 
• On March 31st, only a day later, the RSF launched yet another fatal airstrike on North Darfur, this time targeting the Abu Shouk IDP camp. The murderous and devastating attack caused the deaths of 7 people and the serious injuries of 9 more. The RSF siege has caused a deliberate and worsening famine to spread through Darfur’s IDP camps, starving 640,000 people. 

North Kordofan

• On March 31st, the RSF launched a ruthless assault on the city of El-Obeid in North Kordofan, killing a child and injuring eight others. This brutal attack, carried out during the sacred celebration of Eid, marks a chilling escalation in the RSF’s ongoing campaign of terror against civilians.

Khartoum

• On April 4th, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that the SAF and allied militias have been perpetrating horrific mass executions of civilians in the weeks since they’ve re-taken control of Khartoum. The OHCHR Chief reviewed “multiple horrific videos showing armed men executing civilians in cold blood, often in public settings.” These civilians were unjustly murdered on account of being falsely accused of collaborating with the RSF. The UN additionally reported a disturbing surge in hate speech and discrimination towards those ethnic communities from Darfur and Kordofan, raising grave concerns about the safety and future of these communities under SAF control.

We cannot allow these international crimes to continue unhindered. 

We call on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), the African Union, the United States, and the larger international community to take the following steps to end the suffering and save lives in Sudan:

• Swiftly authorize and deploy civilian protection forces to protect the innocent Sudanese people, particularly in Darfur; 
• Impose  criminal and financial accountability for all individuals and states complicit in committing past and present genocide and war crimes in Sudan;
• Demand that the warring parties immediately cease all attacks and strictly adhere to a permanent, verifiable ceasefire;
• Authorize urgent and unimpeded access to humanitarian aid for all in need across Sudan;
• Press the warring parties to stop the torture, murder, rape, and starvation of civilians as a strategy of war;
• U.S., UNSC, and allies must hold the regional and international enablers supplying weapons to the warring parties in Sudan accountable; 
• US and allies must cease the selling of arms to the UAE and prevent genocide in Sudan.

As this genocide intensifies, we urgently call on the international community to act now to stop the atrocities unfolding in Sudan. The people of Darfur and Sudan at large are facing mass killings, forced starvation, and targeted ethnic violence at the hands of armed actors who continue to operate without consequence. These horrors are preventable. But only if we raise our voices, demand accountability, and call on world leaders to protect civilians and support the Sudanese people in their fight for lasting peace.

With gratitude,

Niemat Ahmadi
President, Darfur Women Action Group (DWAG)
The DWAG Team