UN Alarmed by Arab Militias Killing non-Arab Masalit in Darfur (Sudan)
Kanako Mita and Sawako Utsumi
Modern Tokyo Times
The crisis in Sudan between government forces backed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (head of the Sudanese armed forces) and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (known as Hemedti – the leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces) is putting enormous pressure on other regions blighted by ethnic divisions.
Darfur, South Kordofan, and other parts of Sudan were fragile before ongoing clashes between the Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Yet, with the crisis spiraling, Darfur and South Kordofan are witnessing increased instability despite international attention focusing on events in Khartoum.
However, with increasing reports of non-Arab Masalits being killed by Arab militias in West Darfur – the United Nations (UN) is calling on the “wanton killings” to stop immediately.
Lee Jay Walker reports, “It is often forgotten that Arabs in the land of Mecca in Saudi Arabia only stopped slavery in the 1960s. Accordingly, with ISIS enslaving Yazidis in modern times in Iraq, it wasn’t surprising that Arabs also continued to enslave in Sudan during the war against the mainly African Animists and Christians in the south – which led to the creation of South Sudan. Therefore, even black African Muslims in Sudan can’t escape the bloodletting and the slavery legacy of Arabs in Sudan.”
Ravina Shamdasani (UN rights office spokesperson) said: “People fleeing El Geneina must be guaranteed safe passage and humanitarian agencies allowed to access to the area to collect the remains of those killed.”
People fleeing to Chad have provided the UN rights office with “horrifying accounts of armed ‘Arab’ militia backed by the Rapid Support Forces killing people fleeing El Geneina on foot.”
Voice of America reports, “The United States said last week that up to 1,100 people had been killed in El Geneina, in a statement that attributed the atrocities “primarily” to the RSF paramilitary force.”
Concerning Arab militias in the past conflict in Darfur, the BBC reports that Arab militias (known as the Janjaweed) “… were accused of widespread atrocities and ethnic killings, described as the first genocide of the 21st Century.”
The Guardian reports, “More than 100,000 Sudanese refugees have reached eastern Chad. The crisis has driven 2.2 million people from their homes, including 528,000 who have fled to neighboring countries, says the International Organisation for Migration.”
Action is needed in West Darfur and other parts of Sudan to stem the cycle of violence – and the UN needs to challenge all parties responsible for the ongoing killings in Darfur.
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