Human rights group says Sudanese RSF paramilitaries committed genocide and another disaster of “epic proportions” looms

Port Sudan, Sudan – A series of attacks by Sudanese paramilitary forces in the western region of Darfur raises the possibility of “genocide” against non-Arab ethnic communities, Human Rights Watch said Thursday. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), along with allied militias, are widely accused of ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity and war crimes in their country. war with the regular army of Sudanwhich started in April 2023.

The war has killed tens of thousands of people, including 15,000 in the United States Town of El-Geneina in West Darfur, according to United Nations experts. The area is the focus of the 186-page HRW report “‘The Massalit Will Not Come Home’: Ethnic Cleansing and Crimes Against Humanity in El-Geneina, West Darfur, Sudan.”

It describes “an ethnic cleansing campaign against the ethnic Massalit and other non-Arab populations.”

From late April to early November last year, the RSF and allied militias “conducted a systematic campaign to remove ethnic Massalit residents, including by killing them,” HRW said.

The violence, which included atrocities such as mass torture, rape and looting, peaked in mid-June – when thousands of people were killed within days – and rose again in November.

Local human rights lawyers said they had followed a pattern of fighters targeting “prominent members of the Massalit community,” including doctors, human rights defenders, local leaders and government officials.

HRW added that the attackers “methodically destroyed critical civilian infrastructure,” mainly in communities made up of displaced Massalit.

Satellite images showed that since June, mainly Massalit neighborhoods in El-Geneina have been “systematically dismantled, many with bulldozers, preventing refugee civilians from returning to their homes,” HRW reported.

HRW said the attacks constituted “ethnic cleansing” because they appeared aimed at “at least forcing them to leave the region permanently.”

The context of the killings further raises the possibility that the RSF and their allies intend to destroy all or part of the Massalit in at least West Darfur, which would indicate that genocide has been and/or is being committed there. it added.

HRW called for an investigation into genocidal intent, targeted sanctions against those responsible and urged the UN to “extend the existing arms embargo on Darfur to include all of Sudan.”

The International Criminal Court, which is currently investigating ethnically-based killings in Darfur, says it has “reasons to believe” that both the paramilitaries and the military are committing “Rome Statute crimes,” including war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

In December, the United States said Sudan’s rival forces had both committed war crimes in the brutal conflict, accusing the RSF of ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.

According to the latest UN figures, more than half a million Sudanese have fled the violence in Darfur to Chad. By the end of October, 75% of those crossing the border were from El-Geneina, HRW said.

All eyes are currently on El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, about 400 kilometers east of El-Geneina – the only state capital not under RSF control.

The United States has warned of a disaster of “epic proportions” if the RSF goes ahead with an expected attack, as residents fear the same fate as El-Geneina could befall them.

“As the UN Security Council and governments become aware of the impending disaster in El-Fasher, the large-scale atrocities committed in El-Geneina should be seen as a reminder of the atrocities that could occur if no concerted action is taken takes place,” the spokesperson said. HRW director Tirana Hassan.