The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported to Reuters on Thursday that approximately 700 casualties have been sustained in clashes between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in El Geneina, Sudan, on November 4 and 5. The IOM further revealed that around 100 individuals were injured and an additional 300 remain unaccounted for due to the ongoing conflict.
The ensuing violence has caused displaced persons to seek refuge in neighboring Chad. This ongoing crisis has been augmented due to a power struggle that triggered the conflict in April of this year and resulted in a massive wave of casualties and displacements across the country. It seems that a failed attempt to integrate the RSF into the regular forces also played a part in propelling the crisis. An investigation into allegations of serious human rights violations by the RSF and its allied Arab militias has been initiated by the UN mission in Sudan.
The RSF, having originated from Janjaweed militias involved in an ethnically-motivated genocide in Darfur between 2003 and 2008, has tightened its grip over western Sudan, particularly after recent victories against the army. Even though diplomatic efforts are underway in Jeddah to call a ceasefire, the conflict which started in April 2021 has reportedly claimed around 9,000 lives. It has also displaced more than six million individuals internally and externally and has pushed nearly 25 million Sudanese to urgently seek humanitarian aid, as disclosed by the United Nations.
The UNHCR has voiced concerns about the escalating violence and human rights violations against civilians. Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, has stated, “Twenty years ago, the world was shocked by the terrible atrocities and human rights violations in Darfur. We fear a similar dynamic might be developing. An immediate end to the fighting and unconditional respect for the civilian population by all parties are crucial to avoid another catastrophe.”