AFPSudanese soldiers in Darfur, last August
Thousands of civilian deaths, millions of refugees, kidnappings, threats of famine, rape of young girls “and more serious human rights violations.” Violence against civilians in Sudan “borders on pure evil”, said the United Nations Sudan Coordinator recently.
And there are no signs that the situation in the northeastern African country is improving any time soon. On the contrary: armed militias are conquering more and more territory. This not only puts the stability of Sudan at risk, but that of the entire region, experts warn. Yet the international community does not intervene.
Ethnic cleansing
Sudanese have been asking for protection from outside for months, because there are no peaceful parties at home on which residents can place their hopes. Since April, two groups have been fighting for power: the government army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary group RSF led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, alias Hemedti.
There is little certainty about the number of deaths, but the UN goes out of thousands, “up to 9,000”, fatalities in the past seven months. At the same time warns the UN that the actual number may be much higher. There are like that too to report that more than 10,000 deaths have recently occurred in the West Darfur region alone.
In Darfur, the Arab RSF militias are not only fighting the army, but mainly against tribes of non-Arab descent. “A systematic ethnic cleansing is underway in Darfur,” says Anette Hoffmann, Sudan expert at Clingendael. “This is very reminiscent of the 2003 genocide.”
That year, an estimated 300,000 Sudanese of African descent were killed in Darfur. “It was and is mainly a struggle for land,” says Hoffmann. “The militias want to take territory from non-Arab tribes. It is a war that has never completely stopped and has now reignited due to the power struggle in the capital Khartoum.”
News hour
There was hope for a while in 2018. The population then rose up against dictator Omar al-Bashir, who was deposed the following year through a collaboration between army generals and the RSF. But the two then had an argument over power.
In April this year, this culminated in a new armed struggle, which plunged the country into a humanitarian crisis. Six million people were displaced or fled the country. According to the UN, 25 million Sudanese need emergency aid. “If there is no humanitarian intervention, this situation could lead to famine,” said Adeeb Youssef, who fled Darfur a month ago.
Youssef is a former governor of the state of Central Darfur and now works for an aid organization. “We ask the international community to intervene and treat the people of Darfur the same as people in other countries affected by war, such as Ukraine.”
UN withdraws
But there is hardly any international support. On Friday, the UN even announced that it would stop the political mission in the country, which aimed to monitor the peaceful transition to a civilian government. Government General al-Burhan wanted to get rid of the mission. The UN says it will continue to try to help Sudanese through other UN organizations.
“The UN has failed in Sudan,” Hoffmann says. “There are now even fewer ears and eyes in the country to keep an eye on crimes against humanity.”
According to Hoffmann, the credibility of the UN and the West is at stake. “The UN, the EU and the Netherlands must ensure that the conflict receives more attention and must increase political pressure on Egypt, for example, which supports the government army. And on the United Arab Emirates, which supports the militants financially and militarily.”
Migration crisis
Hundreds of thousands of Sudanese have fled to neighboring countries, many of them poor and unstable. These countries therefore have a direct interest in an end to the conflict. This also applies to the EU, says Hoffmann. “In the long run, those people will flee to the Mediterranean or Europe. This is the largest migration crisis worldwide.” In addition, the country threatens to become a “fertile breeding ground” for criminal networks and terrorist groups, Hoffmann fears.
Hoffmann calls for strong sanctions against “people we know are responsible for those crimes against humanity” and for support for humanitarian organizations. “It is important that civilian organizations that are still active inside and outside Sudan are supported by Europe and the Netherlands. They must be prepared for the moment this war comes to an end so that they can contribute to a normal political process.”
For the time being, that end is not in sight. The situation is worsening every day, Youssef says. He has decided to return to his country soon. “I am going to provide help on the spot and endure the misery together with the people.”
2023-12-03 20:19:04
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