Hundreds of people reportedly killed in violent clashes in western Sudan

KHARTOUM: The West Darfur state in western Sudan has been witnessing violent clashes, with hundreds of people reportedly being killed and serious human rights violations committed, according to reports released by international and local organizations.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a statement that about 700 people were reportedly killed, 100 people injured, and 300 others went missing in West Darfur State after clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in El Geneina on Nov. 4 and 5.

Other reports have indicated varying numbers of casualties in the Sudanese state.

The Al-Juzoor Organization for Human Rights, a local organization defending human rights, indicated on Thursday that 1,300 people were killed and over 2,000 wounded in Ardamata area in El Geneina, while West Darfur State Revolutionaries Bloc, a civil human rights group, on Friday put the death toll at about 2,000, and the injuries at 3,000.

On Thursday, the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) said on social media platform X that it had received disturbing reports from a variety of reliable sources on the ground that from Nov. 4 to 6, following the RSF’s takeover of the base of the SAF’s 15th infantry division, Arab militias allied with RSF committed serious human rights violations, particularly in the Ardamata neighborhood of El Geneina.

Reports indicate that the Arab militias killed a number of civilians and injured many others in the Massalit community, UNITAMS said, adding human rights officers are currently verifying these reports.

Deploring the war’s severe impact on civilians, the mission reiterated its call on all parties to the Sudanese conflict to uphold their obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law to protect civilians in the course of hostilities.

Also on Thursday, the U.S. embassy in Khartoum issued a statement to express its concern over human rights violations by the RSF and its allied militias.

In a statement released on Friday, Sudan’s Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) condemned the RSF for storming citizens’ homes and killing an “unknown number” of civilians in the Ardamata area.

The Darfur region in western Sudan has been witnessing escalating clashes between the SAF and the RSF.

Recently, the RSF announced its control of most prominent Sudanese army bases, especially in South and West Darfur states, at the time when the RSF is mobilizing forces around El Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur State.

Deadly clashes have been going on between the SAF and the RSF in Khartoum and other areas since April 15, killing up to 9,000 people, forcing more than 5.8 million displaced within and outside Sudan and leaving 25 million in need of aid, according to the latest Sudan situation report on Nov. 7 by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

• Source – Xinhua