Sudan: UN and AU must act swiftly to prevent mass atrocities in El Fasher
Responding to reports of escalating violence in El Fasher in Sudan’s North Darfur state, Tigere Shaguta, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, said:
“Civilians are caught up in the escalating violence in El Fasher, Sudan. “The international community, including the African Union and the United Nations, must act urgently to prevent atrocities, both in El Fasher and in surrounding villages, to protect civilians and ensure that perpetrators are held accountable.
“El Fasher is home to hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people who initially fled violence elsewhere in Darfur. The conflict is taking a heavy toll on civilians. There have been reports of shelling of residential areas, including the Abu Shouk IDP camp, causing civilian casualties, with many unable to flee.
The AU and UN must act urgently to prevent atrocities in El Fasher, to protect civilians and ensure perpetrators are held to accountTigiri Shagota, Director of Amnesty International’s East and Southern Africa Regional Office
“Amnesty International is calling on all parties to the conflict to stop all indiscriminate and deliberate attacks on civilians. They must allow unimpeded and safe humanitarian access and ensure safe passage for civilians trying to flee the violence in the city.
The international community must act now before it’s too late.
“Following the fall of other cities in Darfur to the RSF, such as El Geneina in West Darfur last year, there have been serious abuses, including attacks targeting non-Arab communities on the basis of ethnicity, deliberate killings of civilians, sexual violence against women and girls, and massacres reminiscent of crimes against humanity, war crimes and ethnic cleansing that occurred in Darfur two decades ago. The international community must act now before it’s too late.”
Background
Sudan’s year-old conflict continues to spread across the country, and the city of El Fasher in North Darfur is now under siege by the Rapid Support Forces and allied militias. Amnesty International has received reports of the burning of villages in North Darfur, escalating airstrikes and shelling of residential areas, including the Abu Shouk camp for internally displaced people, and the denial of aid access by both parties to the conflict.
El Fasher, the last state capital in Darfur not yet under RSF control, is home to more than 1.5 million people, including hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people who fled fighting elsewhere in Darfur in the early 2000s and the current year-long conflict. These civilians are currently trapped inside the city, where they are likely to be subjected to serious abuses in the coming days or weeks.
Last year, Amnesty International documented war crimes committed by the RSF and allied Arab militias involved in attacks targeting members of the Masalit and other non-Arab communities on the basis of ethnicity in West Darfur.
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