UN experts: Sudan’s paramilitary forces carried out ethnic killings and rapes that may be war crimes - Darfur is experiencing “its worst violence since 2005”

EDITH LEDERER, an exceptional war journalist with 50 years experience, never fails to produce well written, accurate news reports devoid of sensationalism and spin. Proper reporting. Here is a good example. 

This report by Ms Lederer today states that a UN panel of experts said Darfur is experiencing “its worst violence since 2005.” Also, according to the panel, the “RSF’s takeover of Darfur relied on three lines of support: the Arab allied communities, dynamic and complex financial networks, and new military supply lines running through Chad, Libya and South Sudan.” 

Also, "while both the Sudanese military and RSF engaged in widespread recruitment drives across Darfur from late 2022, the RSF was more successful, the experts said. And it “invested large proceeds from its pre-war gold business in several industries, creating a network of as many as 50 companies.” The RSF’s complex financial networks “enabled it to acquire weapons, pay salaries, fund media campaigns, lobby, and buy the support of other political and armed groups,” the experts said". Read more.

From The Associated Press (AP)
BY EDITH M. LEDERER
Dated Friday, 01 March 2024, Updated 6:26 AM GMT. Here is a copy in full:

UN experts: Sudan’s paramilitary forces carried out ethnic killings and rapes that may be war crimes

FILE - Residents displaced from a surge of violent attacks squat on blankets and in hastily made tents in the village of Masteri in west Darfur, Sudan, on July 30, 2020. Paramilitary forces and their allied militias fighting to take power in Sudan carried out widespread ethnic killings and rapes while taking control of much of western Darfur that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, according to a new report to the U.N. Security Council, obtained Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, by The Associated Press. (Mustafa Younes via AP, File)

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Paramilitary forces and their allied militias fighting to take power in Sudan carried out widespread ethnic killings and rapes while taking control of much of western Darfur that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, United Nations experts said in a new report.

The report to the U.N. Security Council, obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, paints a horrifying picture of the brutality of the Arab-dominated Rapid Support Forces against Africans in Darfur. It also details how the RSF succeeded in gaining control of four out of Darfur’s five states, including through complex financial networks that involve dozens of companies.

Sudan plunged into chaos in April, when long-simmering tensions between its military led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary commanded by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, broke out into street battles in the capital, Khartoum.

Fighting spread to other parts of the country, but in Sudan’s Darfur region it took on a different form: brutal attacks by the RSF on African civilians, especially the ethnic Masalit.

Two decades ago, Darfur became synonymous with genocide and war crimes, particularly by the notorious Janjaweed Arab militias against populations that identify as Central or East African. It seems that legacy has returned, with the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor Karim Khan saying in late January there are grounds to believe both sides are committing possible war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide in Darfur.

The panel of experts said Darfur is experiencing “its worst violence since 2005.”

The ongoing conflict has caused a large-scale humanitarian crisis and displaced approximately 6.8 million people — 5.4 million within Sudan and 1.4 million who have fled to other countries, including approximately 555,000 to neighboring Chad, the experts said.

The RSF and rival Sudanese government forces have both used heavy artillery and shelling in highly populated areas, causing widespread destruction of critical water, sanitation, education and health care facilities.

In their 47-page report, the experts said the RSF and its militias targeted sites in Darfur where displaced people had found shelter, civilian neighborhoods and medical facilities.

According to intelligence sources, the panel said, in just one city — Geneina, the capital of West Darfur state near the Chad border — between 10,000 and 15,000 people were killed.

The experts said sexual violence by the RSF and its allied militia was widespread.

The panel said that, according to reliable sources from Geneina, women and girls as young as 14 years old were raped by RSF elements in a U.N. World Food Program storage facility that the paramilitary force controlled, in their homes, or when returning home to collect belongings after being displaced by the violence. Additionally, 16 girls were reportedly kidnapped by RSF soldiers and raped in an RSF house.

“Racial slurs toward the Masalit and non-Arab community formed part of the attacks,” the panel said. “Neighborhoods and homes were continuously attacked, looted, burned and destroyed,” especially those where Masalit and other African communities lived, and their people were harassed, assaulted, sexually abused, and at times executed.

The experts said prominent Masalit community members were singled out by the RSF, which had a list, and the group’s leaders were harassed and some executed. At least two lawyers, three prominent doctors and seven staff members, and human rights activists monitoring and reporting on the events were also killed, they said.

The RSF and its allied militias looted and destroyed all hospitals and medical storage facilities, which resulted in the collapse of health services and the deaths of 37 women with childbirth complications and 200 patients needing kidney dialysis, the panel said.

After the killing of the wali, or governor, of West Darfur in June, the report said, Masalit and African communities decided to seek protection at Ardamata, just outside Geneina. A convoy of thousands moved out at midnight but as they reached a bridge, RSF and allied militias indiscriminately opened fire, and survivors reported that an estimated 1,000 people were killed, they said.

The panel stressed that disproportionate and indiscriminate attacks on civilians — including torture, rapes and killings as well as destruction of critical civilian infrastructure — constitute war crimes under the 1949 Geneva conventions.

The RSF was formed out of Janjaweed fighters by Sudan’s former President Omar al-Bashir, who ruled the country for three decades, was overthrown during a popular uprising in 2019, and is wanted by the International Criminal Court for charges of genocide and other crimes during the conflict in Darfur in the 2000s.

According to the panel, the “RSF’s takeover of Darfur relied on three lines of support: the Arab allied communities, dynamic and complex financial networks, and new military supply lines running through Chad, Libya and South Sudan.”

While both the Sudanese military and RSF engaged in widespread recruitment drives across Darfur from late 2022, the RSF was more successful, the experts said. And it “invested large proceeds from its pre-war gold business in several industries, creating a network of as many as 50 companies.”

The RSF’s complex financial networks “enabled it to acquire weapons, pay salaries, fund media campaigns, lobby, and buy the support of other political and armed groups,” the experts said.

United States Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who visited Chad in September, called the report’s findings “horrific” and expressed “deep disappointment” that the U.N. Security Council and the international community have paid such little attention to the allegations.

“The people of Sudan feel that they have been forgotten,” she said.

In light of the humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan and the broader region, Thomas-Greenfield demanded that the Sudanese military lift its prohibition on cross-border assistance from Chad and facilitate cross-line assistance from the east. She also demanded in a statement Wednesday that the RSF halt the looting of humanitarian warehouses and that both parties stop harassing humanitarian aid workers.

“The council must act urgently to alleviate human suffering, hold perpetrators to account, and bring the conflict in Sudan to an end,” the U.S. ambassador said. “Time is running out.”

Source: https://apnews.com/article/sudan-paramilitary-ethnic-killings-united-nations-report-37eb2b6980e029d5603d83401619c85d

END

Sudan: UN OHCHR calls for ‘urgent action’ to end attacks on people fleeing El Geneina, West Darfur

Report at UN News Centre - news.un.org
By Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights - ohchr.org
Published Saturday 24 June 2023 - here is a full copy:

Sudan: OHCHR calls for ‘urgent action’ to end militia attacks on people fleeing El Geneina

©UNHCR/Modesta Ndubi Violence between communities in West Darfur has forced many people to flee their homes around El Geneina town.

The UN human rights office (OHCHR) on Saturday said it was gravely concerned at reports of “wanton killings” by “Arab” militia in Sudan’s West Darfur backed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), primarily targeting men from the Masalit community.

The explosion of ethnic violence in Darfur largely by nomadic “Arab” groups in alliance with the RSF who have been battling national army forces for control of the country since mid-April, has led tens of thousands to flee into neighbouring Chad.

‘Horrifying accounts’

In a statement, OHCHR Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said interviews with people fleeing the decimated city of El Geneina have revealed “horrifying accounts” of people being killed on foot by the RSF-supported militia.

“All those interviewed also spoke of seeing dead bodies scattered along the road – and the stench of decomposition”, she said. “Several people spoke off seeing dozens of bodies in an area referred to as Shukri, around 10km from the border, where one or more of the Arab militias reportedly has a base.”

She said immediate action to halt the killings was essential.

“The High Commissioner for Human Rights calls on the RSF leadership to immediately, unequivocally condemn and stop the killing of people fleeing El-Geneina, and other violence and hate speech against them on the basis of their ethnicity. Those responsible for the killings and other violence must be held accountable.”

Safe passage

She added that people fleeing El Geneina must be guaranteed safe passage and humanitarian agencies allowed access to the area so they can collect the bodies of the dead.

“Out of 16 people we have so far been able to interview, 14 testified that they witnessed summary executions and the targeting of groups of civilians on the road between El-Geneina and the border – either the shooting at close range of people ordered to lie on the ground or the opening of fire into crowds.”

The civilian exodus from the city intensified following the killing of the state governor on 14 June just hours after he accused the RSF and militias of “genocide” – raising the spectre of the hundreds of thousands killed between 2003-2005 during a Government-orchestrated campaign of violence.

Ms. Shamdasani said the testimonies recounted killings that took place on 15 and 16 June, but also during the past week.

Deadly hate speech

“We understand the killings and other violence are continuing and being accompanied by persistent hate speech against the Masalit community, including calls to kill and expel them from Sudan.”

One 37-year-old told the UN that from his group of 30 people fleeing to the Chad border, only 17 made it across, the Spokesperson recounted.

“Some were killed after coming under fire from vehicles belonging to the RSF and ‘Arab’ militia near the Chad border, while others were summarily executed, he said. Those who survived had their phones and money looted from them by armed men shouting: ‘You are slaves, you are Nuba’”.

A 22-year-old woman gave similar accounts of killings. She told how one badly wounded young man had to be left on the ground: “We had to leave him because we had only one donkey with us".

“El Geneina has become uninhabitable”, said Ms. Shamdasani with essential infrastructure destroyed and movement of humanitarian aid to the city, blocked.

“We urge the immediate establishment of a humanitarian corridor between Chad and El-Geneina, and safe passage for civilians out of areas affected by the hostilities.”

View original: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/06/1138072

[Ends] 

Sudan: Corpses left lying around El Geneina, W Darfur

Report at BBC News Topics, Sudan

By BBC Verify

Published Friday 23 June 2023 at 16:33 - here is a full copy:

Evidence of dead bodies left lying around Sudanese city

BBC

Copyright: BBC

One video showed bodies lying in the middle of a street

Image caption: One video showed bodies lying in the middle of a street

The BBC has seen evidence supporting claims of bodies left lying out in the open after serious violence in the Darfur region of Sudan between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese army. In Darfur, some Arab militia groups have supported the RSF.

We have verified two videos from one location in the city of El Geneina posted on Twitter earlier this month showing bodies lying on a road.

We were able to match buildings and objects in the videos to satellite images of El Geneina.

In one video, there is a mention of the local branch of the Bank of Khartoum, which we were also able to locate.

It’s not possible to say either when the videos were filmed or who did the filming.

But one appeared on Twitter around the same time the West Darfur governor Khamis Abakar was killed on 14 June. In this video, the person filming makes derogatory comments about non-Arabs living there.

The Darfur Bar Association (DBA) said this week that corpses remain on the streets, inside homes and in various public places.

Click here to view original. 

[Ends] 

UN Security Council Darfur Sudan meeting 23 June

NOTE from Sudan Watch Ed: The UN Security Council members are holding closed consultations on Sudan today. The UK, the penholder on Sudan, requested the meeting. Violence in Darfur will be a key focus of the meeting.

Incidentally, I saw or heard in a report or video former ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo recently saying something like this: 

“The international community is like a unicorn, everyone knows what a unicorn looks like but in reality it doesn’t exist.”

My point is, it would be refreshing to see Africans putting pressure on the African Union to excel and make Africa proud. The West is busy countering Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a very large country in eastern Europe. 

Read more. Beige highlighting is mine for easy future reference.

Report at What's In Blue - securitycouncilreport.org

Published Thursday 22 June 2023 - here is a full copy:

Sudan: Consultations

Tomorrow afternoon (23 June) Security Council members are expected to hold closed consultations on Sudan. It seems that the inter-communal violence in Darfur will be a key focus of the meeting. The UK, the penholder on Sudan, requested the meeting. Edem Wosornu, the Director of OCHA’s Operations and Advocacy Division, is expected to brief.

Sudan has been grappling with the devastating consequences of fighting that erupted on 15 April between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), headed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan’s military leader and chairperson of the Transitional Sovereign Council, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. 

A 13 June Humanitarian Update estimated that at least 866 people had been killed and 6,000 injured in Darfur since the outbreak of hostilities. However, casualty rates may be much higher at this point, with some reports indicating that 1,100 people have died in the West Darfur capital of El Geneina alone since April. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) indicates that approximately 1.965 million people have been displaced within Sudan and over 531,566 people have fled the country since 15 April.

The escalating violence in Darfur has been marked by inter-communal fighting, with Arab militias supporting the RSF and targeting non-Arab groups in Darfur. The inter-ethnic component of the fighting has raised alarm among several Council members. Some members appear to be concerned about the potential for inter-communal fighting to spin out of control, recalling the conflict in Darfur in the 2000s that claimed the lives of over 300,000 people.

Since mid-April, the fighting has been particularly severe in West Darfur, leading to high levels of insecurity and grim humanitarian effects. In addition to high casualty rates, more than 280,000 people have been displaced in West Darfur, with roughly 150,000 crossing the border into Chad to escape the violence. Civilians have reportedly been targeted as they make their way to the Chadian border. Media reports have indicated that the SAF has not protected civilians targeted by the RSF and allied militias. OCHA reported in its 13 June update that hospitals and electrical stations are not functional in El Geneina. 

Amidst the spiking inter-communal fighting, West Darfur governor Khamis Abakkar was abducted and killed on 14 June, shortly after accusing the RSF and affiliated militia of atrocities in El Geneina during a television interview.  It has been reported that the RSF was responsible for the assassination, although it has denied the allegation.

Several UN officials have continued to speak out against the violence. On 13 June, Special Representative and head of UNITAMS Volker Perthes released a statement in which he expressed his alarm at the situation in El Geneina, referring to an “emerging pattern of large-scale attacks against civilians based on their ethnic identities, allegedly committed by Arab militias and some armed men in Rapid Support Forces (RSF)’s uniform”. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths released a statement on 15 June in which he observed, “Darfur is spiraling into a humanitarian calamity.”  

Remarking on the inter-communal violence in the region, he added that the world could not allow a repeat of “the ethnic tensions that stoked the deadly conflict there 20 years ago”. On 19 June, Secretary-General António Guterres called the situations in Darfur and Khartoum “catastrophic”, underscoring his concern about reports of gender-based and sexual violence and asserting that “[t]argeted attacks against civilians based on their ethnic identities could amount to crimes against humanity”.

In tomorrow’s meeting, Council members are likely to condemn the violence in Sudan and emphasise the need for a ceasefire and for unfettered humanitarian access. Some members may raise concerns about reports of sexual violence in the conflict. 

There may also be questions about command-and-control issues in relation to RSF operations in Darfur; in this regard, members may be interested in knowing the degree to which Arab militias are operating on their own initiative as opposed to fighting in coordination with the RSF.  

Members may also be interested in OCHA’s perspective on allegations that the SAF is failing to protect civilians in Darfur. Another concern that may be raised is the regional implications of the fighting in Sudan; regarding the fighting in West Darfur, members may want to learn more about the humanitarian and security effects of the influx of refugees from West Darfur into Chad.

Some Council members may also express concerns about how the UN can most effectively manage the significant operational challenges facing the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), and the difficult relations between the Sudanese government and Special Representative Volker Perthes. When Perthes briefed the Council on 23 May, he announced that “the hostilities compelled us to temporarily relocate many of our staff to Port Sudan and outside Sudan”.  On 8 June, the government of Sudan declared Perthes “persona non grata”, which prompted UN Secretary-General António Guterres to recall, through his spokesman, that “the doctrine of persona non grata is not applicable to or in respect of United Nations personnel and its invocation is contrary to the obligations of states under the Charter of the United Nations”.

While the meeting will focus largely on the humanitarian situation, some members may emphasise the need to exert the leverage on the parties to find a resolution to the conflict.  Various mediation initiatives have failed to gain meaningful traction, including those led by the AU, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and Saudi Arabia and US. The Sudanese military has been critical of both the AU and IGAD processes. In a BBC radio interview on 4 June, Malik Agar, the deputy chairman of Sudan’s Sovereign Council, declared that “Sudan is not part of the African Union’s initiative”, noting its suspension from the AU, which occurred following the October 2021 coup. Regarding the IGAD initiative, the Sudanese government issued a statement on 15 June rejecting the sub-regional body’s decision to appoint Kenya to succeed South Sudan in leading the mediation, accusing Kenya of adopting “the positions of the rebel Rapid Support Forces”.  Although the Saudi-US facilitated talks have resulted in several short-term humanitarian ceasefires, these have by and large failed to hold.

Council members have been following the deteriorating situation in Sudan closely since the outbreak of fighting in mid-April, although difficult dynamics continue to hamper the Council’s approach to Sudan. When the Council renewed the mandate of UNITAMS in early June, it did not include references to the recent developments in the country, as some members—including China, Russia, and the A3 (Gabon, Ghana and Mozambique)—apparently opposed adding new language to the draft resolution concerning the humanitarian, political, or security situations in Sudan. In lieu of including such language in the resolution, Council members issued a press statement that condemned the looting of humanitarian aid and attacks on civilians, while emphasising the need for a permanent ceasefire and a resumption of the process towards democracy in Sudan. While the penholder had originally proposed a presidential statement, it was converted to a press statement—an informal outcome with less political clout—after some members expressed reservations about the format of the outcome.

Tags: Insights on Africa, Sudan, Sudan (Darfur)

Original: https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/whatsinblue/2023/06/sudan-consultations-2.php

[Ends]

IGAD sticks to mediation roadmap amid Sudan rejection of Kenya President Ruto's lead role

Report at The EastAfrican - theeastafrican.co.ke

By Aggrey Mutambo

By Mawahib Abdallatif

Dated Thursday 15 June 2023 - full copy:

Igad sticks to mediation roadmap amid Sudan rejection of Ruto's lead role

Kenya President William Ruto when he met Sudan army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan special envoy Malik Agar Nganyoufa (left) on May 29, 2023, and, right, the paramilitary RSF Mohamed Hamdani Daglo ‘HemedtI's political advisor Youssef Ezzat on June 3, 2023. PHOTOS | PPU | RSF TWITTER

Summary

• Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it expressed disagreement to a number of paragraphs mentioned in the draft final statement of the summit.
• Burhan considers himself the definitive head of Sudan and has labelled Hemedti as a rebel.
• UN mission in Sudan said it was deeply shocked by the killing of Governor of West Darfur in El Geneina.

Sudan has rejected the appointment of Kenyan President William Ruto as head of a quartet to facilitate peace under the regional bloc, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad)

The junta leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan accused Nairobi of having “harboured” sympathies for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), whose leader Mohammed Hamdan Daglo Hemedti was once his deputy, but is now an arch-enemy.

The latest statement on Thursday [15 June] came as Sudan had also rejected the Igad mediation schedule, which would have seen Ruto arrange for a face-to-face meeting, for the first time, between the two warring generals.

Igad had insisted it would stick to the mediation quartet led by Kenya in the search for peace in Sudan, even after Khartoum rejected the proposals, in spite of Sudanese protests.

According to officials familiar with the decision, resolutions publicised in an official Igad communique remain in force until formally revised by the heads of state and government of the eight-member bloc.

On Monday, Igad had named Kenya, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Djibouti as members of a quartet to help Sudanese warring generals seek peace.

Sudan said, after the meeting, that Igad announced the mediation plan without consent from Burhan.

Governor assassinated

The rejection portends early problems with the ‘roadmap’ to help achieve long-term ceasefire and came as the governor of West Darfur was assassinated.

On Monday [12 June], just two days after the Igad summit in Djibouti, Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed it had rejected any mention of mediation and also opposed being replaced as chair of Igad. The summit had appointed Djibouti to replace Sudan for the next one year, under the new rules that follow an alphabetical order of members.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Foreign Affairs ministry said it “expressed its disagreement and objection to a number of paragraphs that were mentioned in the draft final statement of the summit due to the fact that they were not discussed and agreed upon, and the delegation called on the Igad Secretariat to delete them.”

“These paragraphs relate to changing the chairmanship of the Igad committee, as the delegation demanded that South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit retain the chairmanship of the committee and demanded the deletion of any reference to the subject of mediation.”

Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Korir Sing’oei said there had been no official protest from Sudan but did suggest only the Summit can revise the decisions.

“Both the inclusion of the Ethiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to the Troika mandated to seek peace in Sudan Crisis and the appointment of President William Ruto to lead the quartet was arrived at by the Igad Summit and can only be vacated by the Summit,” Dr Singoei said.

No official communication on this yet. But both the inclusion of PM @AbiyAhmedAli to the Troika mandated to seek peace in #SudanCrisis & appointment of @WilliamsRuto to lead the Quartet was arrived at by the IGAD Summit & can only be vacated by the Summithttps://t.co/ePhMqqbUzh

— Korir Sing'Oei (@SingoeiAKorir) June 15, 2023

Incidentally, a Sudanese representative Malik Agar, who is also the Deputy Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council of the Republic of the Sudan, chaired the summit. Agar replaced Mohamed Hamdani Daglo ‘Hemedti’, the leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that has since April 15 been fighting Burhan’s Sudan Armed Forces.

Sudan says it notified Igad regarding the need for Kiir “to continue chairing the Quartet Committee that was approved by the summit in accordance with the objective considerations mentioned by Uganda President Yoweri Museveni in the Igad Emergency Summit that was held online on April 16, 2023.” At the time, Juba led Uganda and Kenya in the earlier troika that sought to travel to Khartoum but failed.

During the summit attended by leaders from the eight member states and officials from associated organisations, Sudan is said to have rejected proposals for dialogue with Hemedti.

“Igad underlined the importance of consultation and coordination with the Government of the Sudan regarding all-inclusive efforts aiming at solving the ongoing conflict,” a communique said.

Somalia or Djibouti?

But behind the scenes as a raging Khartoum felt the weight of the proposals by Igad, Ruto said a quartet of Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Somalia would work with the AU to help achieve peace in Sudan. The official communique released, unusually more than 24 hours after the meeting, named Djibouti, rather than Somalia in the quartet.

“This group was supposed to arrange, within ten days, a face-to-face meeting between Burhan and Hemedti in one of the regional capitals, and, within 2 weeks, secure a commitment for humanitarian corridor. An inclusive political process towards a political settlement was to start within three weeks,” it said.

“We have taken the decision…so that we can speak to them directly on behalf of Igad, with the view of stopping the war that is raging,” said President Ruto at a press briefing in Djibouti, where the summit had gathered on Monday.

“Kenya commits to meet the two Sudan generals face to face to find a lasting solution to the crisis.”

A diplomat familiar with the discussions told The EastAfrican, Sudan had indeed opposed the clauses, and especially the inclusion of Ethiopia with which they have a decades-old unresolved border dispute. But was convinced South Sudan will still play a leading role on the committee, including hosting the meeting. 

Traditionally, communiques have often been released only on the endorsement of the respective ambassadors of member states.

But the official said Sudan’s beef with Kenya in the lead is the fact that they already gave an ear to an envoy of the RSF earlier this month. On June 3, Ruto met with RSF political advisor Youssef Ezzat. But the RSF claimed the meeting was “part of a tour encompassing friendly nations, aimed to elucidate the evolving situation in Sudan.”

Burhan considers himself the definitive head of Sudan and has labelled Hemedti as a rebel.

“With a comprehensive understanding, Ezzat provided Ruto with an insightful explanation of the war's causes and the prevailing circumstances, backed by accurate information regarding its motives and the responsible parties,” RSF tweeted of the Nairobi meeting.

Since April 15, their clash has led to more than 1,200 deaths, 800,000 displacements and serious property destruction. The sides have signed seven ceasefire deals, all broken within hours of declaration.

On Wednesday, Khamis Abdullah Abakar, the Governor of West Darfur was murdered as the war continued to expand to key strongholds.

The late governor of West Darfur State Khamis Abdullah Abakar. PHOTO | SUDAN NEWS AGENCY VIA AFP

Burhan accused RSF of killing the governor hours after he had accused Hemedti's forces and its militia allies of committing genocide in his region.

But RSF, denying the claims, condemned his killing and accused the army of being responsible for arming one of the parties to the conflict.

Activists in Sudan had published videos and pictures of his earlier arrest, and later of him being killed.

The news of the killing comes days after the intensification of armed clashes in the city of El Geneina (the centre of West Darfur State), after the city "turned into something like a ghost town due to the continuous fighting," according to the Sudanese Doctors Syndicate statement.

The United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (Unitams) said it was “deeply shocked by the killing of governor of West Darfur in El Geneina.”

Unitams in a statement “strongly condemns this heinous act. Compelling eyewitness accounts attribute this act to Arab militias and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), even though the RSF communicated a denial of their involvement to the mission”.

The UN Mission in Sudan called for the perpetrators to be swiftly brought to justice and the cycle of violence in the region to not expand further. 

“The loss of Khamis Abdullah Abakar, a key interlocutor in the region and a signatory of the Juba Peace Agreement, is deeply regrettable for Unitams” the statement said.

Read:

Igad to hold direct talks with Sudan generals

Sudan: Burhan rejects direct talks with Hemedti

Kiir: Sudan rivals ‘ready’ for talks

Ruto: Sudan war atrocious, regional threat

UN warns of mass exodus from Sudan

UN Mission launches political transition talks in Sudan

View original: https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/rest-of-africa/igad-sticks-to-mediation-roadmap-amid-sudan-rejection-of-ruto-4271410

[Ends]

TRANSCRIPT: Plea by West Darfur Governor Abaker

Hat tip to Cameron Hudson @_hudsonc. I made the transcript here below.

The last interview conducted by Khamis Abbaker before he was abducted & killed, reportedly by RSF
He is one of the few officials that held his position, staying with his constituents, calling for aid during this conflict/war#Sudan #WestDarfur #DarfurBaladna #Darfur https://t.co/fDaXxwZoEZ

— Tagreed Abdin (@taggy_) June 17, 2023

Near-Verbatim Transcript

Taken from English sub-titles superimposed on the video of Al-Hadath TV interview with West Darfur Governor Mr Khamis Abdalla Abaker

Filmed and aired on Wednesday 14 June 2023

TEXT, AL-HADATH TV:

The violence in El Geneina City continues, leaving people in a dire condition.

Thousands fled to neighbouring Chad, and other states. More than 3000 were killed.

One of those victims is the Governor of West Darfur Sate, who was murdered just hours after asking for help. 

Not knowing that his cry for help in the interview would be his last public statement...

VOICE, WEST DARFUR GOVERNOR MR KHAMIS ABDALLA ABAKAR:

“Now you can hear bombing and shelling sounds, those are directly falling on citizens.

Citizens are killed randomly, and in great numbers.

We have lots of wounded people that cannot receive medical care, there are no open hospitals or pharmacies.

All hospitals and medical centres have been bombed completely, and citizens lack medical care.

The number of injuries has surpassed 3000, and it is increasing, and there is no place for them to receive first aid.

Doctors are trying to help within the neighborhoods, yet many wounded people need operations. 

So, the aid is limited, and doctors themselves are now targeted. Three weeks ago, 6 doctors were targeted. 

The issue began between the two parties in a joint force area.

Then it escalated to the area of Masaleet tribe, however, today all the city is violated.

All the city and all the tribes have been violated and targeted by the RSF and their supporting militias.

We spoke with both the central and regional government about the need for deploying a force, yet there is no response. 

All the fight has shifted to West Darfur, and they are directly targeting civilians.

The army base of Division 15 Infantry is about 7 km from my location. 

Yet the army did not come out of their base, not even to secure the city.

This has been going on for 57 days at least, and we have yet to see the armed forces leaving their barracks, not even to protect civilians.

[My message] to the global community: this city suffered a great deal, and these people have been murdered by the thousands.

A genocide was committed in this area, and we ask the global community to intervene urgently to save the remaining lives!

These people have no place to sleep, no food or water and are under shelling.  

Therefore, I plead with the international and regional community to save the remaining lives in this state!"  

[Ends] + + +

UPDATED 5 hours later to add: near-verbatim; closing quotation mark; Masalit tag.