Ethnic Cleansing in Darfur: Rights Group Accuses Paramilitaries of Mass Atrocities

A leading human rights organization has decried a campaign of ethnic cleansing against non-Arab populations in Sudan's western Darfur region, perpetrated by paramilitary forces and their allies.

A new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused paramilitary forces in Sudan of carrying out a campaign of ethnic cleansing against non-Arab populations in the western Darfur region, resulting in thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands of displaced people.

The report, titled "The Massalit Will Not Come Home: Ethnic Cleansing and Crimes Against Humanity in El Geneina, West Darfur, Sudan," documents the systematic targeting of Masalit and other non-Arab groups by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their allied militias.

According to HRW, the attacks began in April 2023 and intensified in November, claiming thousands of lives and leaving entire neighborhoods destroyed. The report alleges that paramilitary forces and their allies targeted predominantly Masalit neighborhoods, torturing captured individuals, raping women and girls, and looting and burning homes.

The report estimates that at least thousands of people were killed and over 570,000 were displaced during the attacks, many of whom fled to neighboring Chad. These figures are corroborated by United Nations experts who estimated at least 10,000 deaths in the city of El Geneina alone in 2023.

HRW stated that the campaign of attacks on non-Arab populations, with the apparent objective of driving them out, constituted ethnic cleansing. The group urged governments, the African Union, and the United Nations to take immediate action to protect civilians and hold those responsible for atrocities accountable.

Both the African Union and the United Nations have expressed concern about the situation in Darfur. UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the violence and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, while the AU Peace and Security Council strongly denounced the killings and urged the Sudanese government to protect civilians.

In late January, the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor said there were grounds to believe that both the RSF and the Sudanese military may be committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide in Darfur. The RSF, formed from the notorious Janjaweed Arab militias, is currently under scrutiny for its role in the violence.

Human Rights Watch and other international organizations have called for an independent investigation into the atrocities in Darfur, along with measures to protect civilians and ensure accountability for the perpetrators. The group has also urged the Sudanese government to cooperate with international efforts to address the crisis and prevent further violence.

The ethnic cleansing campaign in Darfur brings back memories of the atrocities committed in the region two decades ago by the infamous Janjaweed Arab militias. The conflict in Darfur, which began in 2003, resulted in an estimated 300,000 deaths and displaced millions. The former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is wanted by the ICC for his alleged role in the Darfur genocide.

Amidst widespread condemnation of the latest violence in Darfur, the international community is being urged to take decisive action to end the bloodshed and protect civilians. The Sudanese government faces increasing pressure to address the crisis and bring those responsible for the atrocities to justice.