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Masalit massacres (2023–present)

Coordinates: 13°27′N 22°27′E / 13.450°N 22.450°E / 13.450; 22.450
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2023 Masalit genocide
Part of the War crimes during the Sudanese civil war (2023–present)
West Darfur highlighted in Sudan
LocationWest Darfur, Sudan
Coordinates13°27′N 22°27′E / 13.450°N 22.450°E / 13.450; 22.450
Date24 April 2023 – present
TargetMasalit people
DeathsAt least 10,000–15,000[1]
PerpetratorRapid Support Forces and Arab Janjaweed tribes

In 2023, the Rapid Support Forces, in the course of the Sudanese civil war, carried out killing sprees in many towns in Darfur. Examples include the Ardamata massacre, Misterei massacre and the Battle of Geneina, all of which targeted Masalit civilians within the area of Geneina.[2][3] These incidents have been described by The Economist,[4] Genocide Watch,[5] US academic Eric Reeves,[6] and Khamis Abakar (Governor of West Darfur),[7][8] as a genocide.

Background[edit]

This section is an excerpt from War in Darfur § Beginning.[edit]
Arab Janjaweed tribes have been a major player in the conflict.
Given that the army was consistently losing, the war effort switched to emphasize three elements: military intelligence, the air force and the Janjaweed. The latter were armed Baggara herders whom the government had used to suppress a Masalit uprising from 1986 to 1999. The Janjaweed became the center of the new counter-insurgency strategy. Though the government consistently denied supporting them, military resources were poured into Darfur and the Janjaweed were outfitted as a paramilitary force, complete with communication equipment and some artillery. The military planners were aware of the probable consequences of such a strategy: similar methods undertaken in the Nuba Mountains and around the southern oil fields during the 1990s had resulted in massive human rights violations and forced displacements.[9]

In December 2020, Sudan started to deploy troops to South Darfur "in large numbers", following recent tribal violence between the Masalit and Fula.[10] On 16 January fighting between Masalit people and Arab nomads in Al Geneina District, West Darfur, left 84 dead and 160 wounded. This was two weeks after the United Nations withdrew its peacekeepers from the region.[11] Based on a statement from the Darfur Bar Association, the incident began when a member of an Arab tribe was stabbed by another member of the Masalit tribe.[12] Following the unrest, a high profile delegation authorized by Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was sent to the region in order to assess the situation.[13]

On 17 January, a curfew was put in place by the Sudanese authorities, including a state of emergency in West Darfur region.[14]

The United Nations has urged the Sudanese government to see to the de-escalation of the violence in West Darfur and safeguard civilian lives.[15]

On 12 April, following several days of violence in West Darfur that led to the deaths of at least 144 people, chairman of the ruling Transitional Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, along with high-ranking security and military officials, visited Geneina, capital of West Darfur, where they held separate talks with the Arab Rizeigat and the non-Arab Masalit tribes.[16][17] After the visit, the Dar Masalit Displaced People expressed their refusal to accept the result of the mediation headed by al-Burhan. They blamed the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces for the unrest in the region.[18][19]

Massacres[edit]

Following the Battle of Geneina, more than a thousand bodies were left in mass graves in the town of El Geneina.[20]

In January 2024, it was revealed that a report to the UN Security Council estimated that 10,000–15,000 people were killed in El Geneina.[1]

According to accounts by survivors, massacres were coordinated, specifically targeting Masalit and other dark-skinned inhabitants of Darfur, as opposed to the Sudanese Arab population. The Rapid Support Forces denied involvement, characterizing the situation as a tribal conflict, while Arab tribal leaders denied being involved in ethnic cleansing and held the Masalit responsible for starting the conflict.[20]

Geneina massacre[edit]

Section 'El Geneina massacre' not found

Misterei massacre[edit]

This section is an excerpt from Misterei massacre § Massacre.[edit]

Prior to the Misterei attack, a group of 300 RSF fighters and allied tribes surrounded the town on the night of May 27, with the exceptions of the south and west, where the fighters entered the town.[21] The fighters came from the Awlad Rashid, Misseriya, and Awlad Janoob tribes, led by Mohamed Zain Taj Eldien and Hamid Yousef Mustafa.[22] Some of the assailants came from the Mima and Bargo ethnic groups.[22] The attackers arrived in twelve Land Cruisers, eight of which were RSF-owned, four of which were private.[22] Other fighters rode on around 150 horses and 140 motorcycles. Around 90 Sudanese Alliance militants, a signatory of the Juba Agreement, intervened in the town, led by Cpt. Elteybe Abdulla Ahmed.[22] Residents were fearful following the surrounding of the town, but there was "no way out".[21]

The first clashes began at Shorrong mountain right after sunrise, when Janjaweed launched an offensive from the west. Later offensives came from the north and south.[23] The Janjaweed came in waves, according to a veteran of the attacks, and many of the self-defense groups were spread out across and around the town in groups of 7 to 15.[23] The Masalit self-defense groups quickly fell to the Janjaweed.[23] Battles between the Sudanese Alliance and the Janjaweed lasted for three and a half hours, during which civilians stated the Arab fighters went house to house, killing darker-skinned Masalit and shouting "Kill the slave, kill the slave!"[22][23]

Wounded civilians were brought to the Atik mosque, although Janjaweed stormed the place and shot at the wounded and those attending to them.[21][23] After killing several people, Arab fighters cheered "We killed the zorga! (a slur for black people)."[23] The Janjaweed also looted houses, farms, and shops, before burning down many neighborhoods.[23] The Misterei market was completely looted and torched.[22] Satellite imagery taken on June 3 showed the entire town burnt down.[23]

Ardamata massacre[edit]

This section is an excerpt from Ardamata massacre.[edit]
On 8 November 2023, the Rapid Support Forces and Janjaweed[24] massacred between 800[25][26] and 1,300[27] in Ardamata, Geneina, West Darfur, Sudan, although estimates vary.[28][29] The attack came after the Sudanese Armed Forces's 15th Infantry Division camp retreated to Chad.[30] About 20,000 fled to Chad following the violence.[27] Reports indicated ethnic targeting, specifically the Masalit community.[31][32]

Reactions[edit]

Khamis Abakar, then governor of West Darfur, denounced the killings as "genocide".[33] He was soon after executed by RSF militants for his statements on 14 June 2023.[7][8]

As of August 2023, there is an increasing amount of proof suggesting that the RSF is initiating a systematic purge based on ethnicity in Darfur. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has issued a warning about the potential escalation into a full-scale genocide.[34] On 10 November 2023, Filippo Grandi, the U.N. High Commissioner, drew parallels between the ongoing violence and the genocide in Darfur recognised by the U.S., where it is estimated that 300,000 people lost their lives from 2003 to 2005. He cautioned that a "similar dynamic might be unfolding."[35]

In October, Genocide Watch issued an alert concerning the situation in Sudan, explicitly characterizing the massacres performed by the Rapid Support Forces against the Masalit people as genocide.[5] This characterization was also shared by US academic Eric Reeves, specialized in Sudan's human rights record,[6] and The Economist.[36]

Josep Borrell, the chief of foreign policy for the European Union, has expressed his strong condemnation of the killing of more than 1,000 individuals in Ardamata. He has urgently appealed to the international community to take immediate action to avert a potential "genocide" in the area.[37]

The UK government,[38] witnesses and other observers described the violence in the region as tantamount to ethnic cleansing or even genocide, with non-Arab groups such as the Masalit being the primary victims.[39] Mujeebelrahman Yagoub, Assistant Commissioner for Refugees in West Darfur called the violence worse than the War in Darfur in 2003 and the Rwandan genocide in 1994.[40]

Further reading[edit]

  • Gallopin, Jean-Baptiste (9 May 2024). ""The Massalit Will Not Come Home"". Human Rights Watch.
  • Harter, Fred (15 December 2023). "Rape, murder, looting: massacre in Ardamata is the latest chapter in Darfur's horror story". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 April 2024.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Nichols, Michelle (20 January 2024). "Ethnic killings in one Sudan city left up to 15,000 dead, UN report says". Reuters. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  2. ^ Lisa (8 November 2023). "RSF seize North Darfur garrison, reportedly commit mass atrocities in West Darfur". Dabanga Radio TV Online. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  3. ^ "Ardamata and Masalit massacres". UK Parliament. 19 February 2024. Archived from the original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  4. ^ "Genocide returns to Darfur". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Sudan Genocide Emergency – October 2023" (PDF). Genocide Watch. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 April 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Sudan's war passed 6 months, with much of the world consumed by other conflicts". NPR. 21 October 2023. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  7. ^ a b "West Darfur governor abducted, killed as war in Sudan spreads". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  8. ^ a b "'Corpses on streets': Sudan's RSF kills 1,300 in Darfur, monitors say". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 11 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  9. ^ Flint & de Waal 2005, pp. 60, 101–103.
  10. ^ "Sudan deploys troops in South Darfur after tribal violence – report". Reuters. 27 December 2020. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  11. ^ "Scores killed in Sudan's Darfur clashes". aljazeera.com. Al Jazeera English. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  12. ^ "At Least 48 Dead in Militia Attack on El Geneina, West Darfur, says SUNA". VOA. 17 January 2021. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  13. ^ "Scores killed in Sudan's Darfur clashes". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  14. ^ "Emergency in Sudan's West Darfur as 129 killed in tribal war". Arab News. 17 January 2021. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  15. ^ "UN chief calls for protection of civilians as violence spikes in Sudan's West Darfur". news.un.org. 18 January 2021. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  16. ^ "CityNews". toronto.citynews.ca. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  17. ^ "Sudan's leader visits Darfur after tribal clashes killed 144". ABC News. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  18. ^ "West Darfur Masalit reject outcomes of mediation by El Burhan". 16 April 2021. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  19. ^ "Sudan: West Darfur Masalit Reject Outcomes of Mediation By El Burhan". Dabanga. 19 April 2021. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  20. ^ a b "How Arab fighters carried out a rolling ethnic massacre in Sudan". Reuters. 22 September 2023. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  21. ^ a b c Rhodes, Hafiz Haroun and Tom (21 July 2023). "DARFUR: The road from Misterei is full of corpses; the town empty save for the Janjaweed and RSF". African Arguments. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  22. ^ a b c d e f acjps. "Darfur: Intertribal conflict results to the death of approximately 90 people and injuring of 160 others in Misterei, West Darfur – African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies". Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g h "Sudan: Darfur Town Destroyed". Human Rights Watch. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  24. ^ Michael, Maggie (8 November 2023). "Darfur refugees report new spate of ethnically driven killings". Reuters. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  25. ^ "More than 800 Sudanese reportedly killed in attack on Darfur town, UN says". ABC News. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  26. ^ "More than 800 Sudanese reportedly killed in attack on Darfur town, UN says". AP News. 11 November 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  27. ^ a b Nashed, Mat. "'Corpses on streets': Sudan's RSF kills 1,300 in Darfur, monitors say". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  28. ^ Abdulahe (7 November 2023). "أكثر من مائتي قتيل.. مجازر مروعة في اردمتا بالجنينة بعد سيطرة الدعم السريع". Dabanga Radio TV Online (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 9 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  29. ^ Houreld, Katharine (8 November 2023). "Sudan paramilitaries seize Darfur cities in major advance, amid massacres". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  30. ^ "مجازر مروعة في اردمتا بالجنينة بعد سيطرة الدعم السريع… وسقوط أكثر من مائتي قتيل - إنتهاكات السودان". sudanviolations.com (in Arabic). 7 November 2023. Archived from the original on 9 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  31. ^ "'At least 1,300' killed in new massacre in Sudan's West Darfur". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  32. ^ Michael, Maggie (8 November 2023). "Darfur refugees report new spate of ethnically driven killings". Reuters. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  33. ^ Content, Syndicated. "Darfur cities under fire as Sudanese war spreads". WKZO | Everything Kalamazoo | 590 AM · 106.9 FM. Archived from the original on 15 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  34. ^ Goldberg, Mark Leon (17 August 2023). "Ethnic Cleansing Has Returned to Darfur. Is Genocide Next?". UN Dispatch. Archived from the original on 14 November 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  35. ^ Ewing, Giselle Ruhiyyih (11 November 2023). "UN sounds alarm on Darfur, warns world not to repeat history". POLITICO. Archived from the original on 14 November 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  36. ^ "Genocide returns to Darfur". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  37. ^ SudanTribune (13 November 2023). "EU Borrell warns of "another genocide" in Darfur, pleads for international response". Sudan Tribune. Archived from the original on 15 November 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  38. ^ "Sudan conflict: Ethnic cleansing committed in Darfur, UK says". BBC. 18 October 2023. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  39. ^ "New killings reported in Darfur on second day of Sudan ceasefire". CNN. 19 June 2023. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  40. ^ "Horrifying testimonies on West Darfur ethnic targeting as other Masalit Sultan relative is killed". Radio Dabanga. 19 June 2023. Archived from the original on 5 July 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.

Works cited[edit]

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