Somali Senator Shares Personal Account of Atrocities in Sudan, Accuses RSF and UAE of Complicity

GOOBJOOG NEWS|DARFUR: A Somali senator has published a personal account describing what he says he witnessed during a recent visit to parts of Sudan, offering a stark portrayal of civilian suffering amid the country’s ongoing war.

In a post shared on X Abdi Samatar said he had travelled to areas affected by the conflict and personally observed the humanitarian consequences of fighting involving the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The senator did not clarify whether the visit was conducted in an official or personal capacity.

According to Samatar’s account, the town of El Fasher had recently been a focal point of intense fighting following what he described as months of siege, before falling to RSF forces.

He alleged that the takeover led to widespread destruction and mass displacement of civilians.“I recently visited parts of Sudan and saw firsthand the horrific cost of the UAE-supported war against the wonderful people of Sudan,” Samatar wrote. “After months of siege, the town fell to the RSF terrorists. The invasion destroyed the town and the civilian population were terrorized.”Samatar further claimed that civilians were subjected to killings, sexual violence, and forced displacement, with large numbers fleeing into desert areas in search of safety.

The senator said many did not survive the journey, while others eventually reached areas near the town of Dabah, nearly 1,000 kilometres from El Fasher, where displaced families are now sheltering.

He added that he spoke directly with people who identified themselves as victims of the violence, relaying accounts of rape affecting women and girls, as well as reports of torture, indiscriminate killings, and the deliberate use of starvation.

These allegations could not be independently verified.“The stories I heard were of horror,” he wrote, referring to what he described as abuses committed during and after the fall of El Fasher.

Samatar also stated that humanitarian organisations are providing assistance to internally displaced people in areas near Dabah, but argued that international attention has been limited relative to the scale of the crisis.

In his personal assessment, the senator attributed responsibility for the violence to the RSF and accused the United Arab Emirates of financially backing the group. He described the RSF as having previously been implicated in atrocities in Darfur, reflecting allegations long documented by human rights organisations.

The UAE has consistently denied supporting armed groups accused of war crimes in Sudan, and no international court has issued a ruling establishing its legal responsibility for the conflict.Samatar concluded his statement with an appeal for global action, calling on what he described as “people of conscience from all over the world to act against these genociders and the enablers.”

Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since April 2023, with fighting between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces triggering one of the world’s largest displacement and humanitarian crises, according to the United Nations.