Ethiopian Informer
UNFPA Photo shows families displaced from El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, seek refuge in Tawila
ADDIS ABABA (EI): The African Union (AU), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and regional actors have “strongly” condemned atrocities in western Sudan’s El Fasher.
Earlier this week, Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced that they have taken full control of the city of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State in western Sudan.
In a statement issued late Monday, Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) Mahmoud Ali Youssouf “strongly” condemned the recent atrocities in El Fasher. He expressed “deep concern” over the escalating violence and reported atrocities in El Fasher, following its takeover by the RSF.
“The chairperson condemns in the strongest terms the grave violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, including alleged war crimes and ethnically targeted killings of civilians,” the statement read.
Youssouf urged all Sudanese parties of their obligations under international law to protect civilians, and warned that perpetrators of “such heinous acts” will be held accountable. Calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the opening of humanitarian corridors to allow life-saving aid to reach affected populations, he stressed that there can be no military solution to Sudan’s crisis. He urged all actors to engage in dialogue and commit to a peaceful, inclusive political process.
El Fasher was the last major administrative center in Sudan’s Darfur region still under the control of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). It has been under an intensive siege by the RSF for several months, resulting in heavy casualties and a worsening humanitarian crisis.
Sudan remains gripped by a devastating conflict between the SAF and the RSF, which erupted in April 2023. The war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions, plunging the country deeper into a humanitarian crisis.
According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the “escalating brutal violence” in El Fasher, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur region, has forced thousands of civilians to flee, leaving many others trapped inside the city with few options. It said the RSF’s control of the city triggered “widespread fear among families who have survived 500 days of relentless siege and conflict.”
In a separate statement, the Djibouti-based Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) urged dialogue and peaceful resolution to the conflict in Sudan.
Executive Secretary of the eight-member East African bloc, Workneh Gebeyehu, underscored the importance of dialogue “as the only sustainable path to resolving conflicts in the region.”
Workneh also appealed to the two warring parties in Sudan, the SAF and RSF, to return to the negotiation table and prioritize peace, paving the way toward the restoration of civilian rule and stability in the country.
Data from UNHCR showed that an estimated 26,000 people have fled El Fasher in recent days. Civilians escaped the fighting in terror, navigating armed checkpoints, extortion, arbitrary arrests, detention, looting and harassment, and serious human rights violations as they tried to reach safety. Testimonies from those arriving in the town of Tawila, 50 kilometres from El Fasher, suggest that what was already an alarming humanitarian and protection crisis is spiralling rapidly.
Meanwhile, the Djibouti Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in a press statement issued late Wednesday, condemned “in the strongest possible terms” the grave violations suffered by civilians following attacks by the Rapid Support Forces in the town of El-Fasher in the Darfur region of Sudan.
The ministry emphasized that the targeting of civilian populations and infrastructure constitutes a “flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and universal humanitarian values.”
“Djibouti reaffirms its consistent position in favor of an immediate cessation of hostilities, the protection of human lives, and the primacy of reason and wisdom in order to preserve the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Sudan,” the press statement read.
The ministry also reiterated Djibouti’s “full solidarity with the brotherly Sudanese people in these difficult times.” It reaffirmed its support for regional and international efforts aimed at establishing lasting peace and stability in Sudan.
