By 
06-09-2024
Giulia Fabrizi
Middle East and Human Rights Researcher
Global Human Rights Defence
It has been 17 months since clashes between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have escalated into the sanguinary civil war that is ravaging Sudan: tens of thousands have been killed, almost 11 million have been displaced, and, overall, over 25 million are in urgent need of aid (Lahrich, 2024).
The premises for this crisis are to be inspected in the 2019 military coup that toppled the 30-year-long autocratic rule of Omar al-Bashir. Following the unsuccessful parenthesis of a transitional government, a new military council was put in place; there, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, now Sudanese army chief and de-facto ruler, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (also known as Hemeti), now leading the rebels, were allies. Now, the two are competing for control of the country and its vast resources, mainly gold and oil reserves (Lahrich, 2024).
Because of the prolonged status of conflict, the humanitarian situation in the country has become unbearable. Indeed, various humanitarian groups have called out “a starvation crisis of historic proportions” (Al Jazeera, 2024).
Dysfunctional health services, lack of hygienic and sanitary conditions, as well as water contaminations (caused by heavy rains) have also sparked various epidemics, including dengue fever, meningitis, and, more recently, cholera. Apparently, more than 10 thousand cases have been registered and around 300 people have already been killed by it (Al Jazeera, 2024). However, experts argue that due to difficulties in registering victims, numbers might even be higher (Mohamed, 2024).
The situation has been particularly difficult in Zamzam camp, one of the three camps (along with al-Salam and Abu Shouk) near North Darfur’s capital, El-Fasher (Rickett, Amin, 2024). The area, the main hub for getting aid into the region, is also particularly strategic to the RSF as its routes allow weapons and resources to flow from neighboring countries and suppliers into Darfur (Rickett, Amin, 2024).
In the Zamzam camp, IDPs (Internally Displaced People) have swelled up to 500,000 in just a few weeks following clashes and displacements in nearby cities. The camps also suffer from a lack of water, electricity, internet, and food (Rickett, Amin, 2024). Furthermore, according to the Famine Review Committee (FRC), famine conditions have been registered in both June and July and will persist until October, exacerbated by conflict and restricted humanitarian access (Middle East Eye, 2024).
UN experts have warned that warring parties are using starvation as a weapon of war (Middle East Eye, 2024). For example, in el-Fasher, RSF’s siege left thousands trapped without food or water, and local volunteers and humanitarian workers have been directly targeted (Middle East Eye, 2024). Of the 25 million people affected by the crisis, 755,000 are reported to be in famine conditions, and another 8.5 million are facing ‘emergency situations’ (Middle East Eye, 2024).
But Northern Darfur is, unfortunately, a region familiar with violence; the RSF and its chief Hemeti historically derive from the Janjaweed militias (the “devils on horseback”), employed by the al-Bashir government to crush protests in the early 2000s – where they murdered hundreds of thousands (Rickett, 2024). Over the last year of the war, the RSF has targeted non-Arab groups, including the Masalit, the Fur, and the Zaghawa, across the region (Rickett, 2024). Because of the perpetrated violence, including gender-based violence, the United States has sanctioned two rebel commanders, Ali Yagoub Gibril and Osman Mohamed Hamid Mohamed (Rickett, Amin, 2024).
On the matter, the Raoul Wallenberg Centre – which cited Middle East Eye on multiple occasions – stated that there is “clear and convincing evidence” that the RSF and its allied militias “have committed, are committing, and are inciting genocide against various black African groups” (Rickett, 2024). In addition, the report considers responsible and complicit in this genocide the United Arab Emirates, Libya (Khalifa Haftar’s militias), the Central African Republic, and Russia (Wagner Group) for their contributions, support, and supplies to the RSF (Rickett, 2024).
Despite officials, activists, and human rights defenders agreeing on the validity of these claims (Rickett, 2024), both the paramilitary forces and the UAE have denied these accusations, as well as those on ethnically motivated violence in the Darfur region (Rickett, 2024).
Overall, little to no progress has been made on the resolution of the conflict. Just like previous negotiations in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) in 2023, newly US-led talks in Geneva – aimed at discussing the critical humanitarian conditions and achieving a ceasefire – have concluded without success (Lahrich, 2024). Starting on August 14th, the talks couldn’t manage to arrange a direct contact between the warring parties: while the RSF sent a delegation, the SAF declined the invitation. They backed up the decision by saying that the military “would fight for 100 years if necessary to defeat the RSF”. Of course, this inevitably undermined the effectiveness of the negotiations – which nonetheless continued – and didn’t bring the nation any step closer to peace (Lahrich, 2024; Al Jazeera, 2024).
Sources and Further Reading:
Al Jazeera. (2024, August 16). WHO reports 300 cholera deaths in Sudan, warns dengue and meningitis rising. Accessed on 6 September 2024. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/16/who-reports-300-cholera-deaths-in-sudan-warns-dengue-and-meningitis-rising.
Al Jazeera. (2024, August 24). Sudan army chief criticises Geneva talks, vows to continue fighting RSF. Accessed on 6 September 2024. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/24/sudan-army-chief-criticises-geneva-talks-vows-to-continue-fighting-rsf.
Al Jazeera. (2024, September 3). Starvation crisis of ‘historic proportions’ in Sudan, aid groups warn. Accessed on 6 September 2024. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/3/starvation-crisis-of-historic-proportions-in-sudan-aid-groups-warn.
Lahrich, I. (2024, August 16). Sudan Peace Talks in Geneva: Navigating the Challenges of a 16-Month Conflict. Policy Center for the New South. Accessed on 6 September 2024. https://www.policycenter.ma/publications/sudan-peace-talks-geneva-navigating-challenges-16-month-conflict.
Middle East Eye. (2024, June 27). Sudan: UN experts say warring parties using starvation as weapon of war. Accessed on 6 September 2024. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudan-un-experts-say-warring-parties-using-starvation-weapon-war.
Middle East Eye. (2024, August 1). Sudan: Famine persists in displaced camp in Darfur, says global hunger monitor. Accessed on 6 September 2024. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudan-global-hunger-monitor-says-famine-persists-displaced-camp-darfur.
Mohamed, E. (2024, August 21). What has caused the cholera outbreak in Sudan?. Accessed on 6 September 2024. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/21/what-has-caused-the-cholera-outbreak-in-sudan.
Rickett, O. (2024, January 25). How the UAE kept the Sudan war raging. Middle East Eye. Accessed on 6 September 2024. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudan-uae-war-arms-trade-rsf.
Rickett, O. (2024, April 19). Sudan: Genocide ‘against non-Arab groups’ taking place in Darfur. Middle East Eye. Accessed on 6 September 2024. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudan-genocide-darfur-taking-place-rsf.
Rickett, O. Amin, M. (2024, May 18). Sudan war: Darfur faces its own ‘Srebrenica’ as el-Fasher fighting intensifies. Middle East Eye. Accessed on 6 September 2024. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudan-war-el-fasher-srebrenica-rsf-massacre.
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