UN adviser warns Sudan may be nearing a dangerous turning point in El-Fasher abuses - As-salamu alaykum
As-salamu alaykum. NEW YORK - The UN’s special adviser on preventing genocide has warned that Sudan might be close to crossing a very dangerous line as reports increase of widespread killings and attacks on civilians in El-Fasher.
Chaloka Beyani cautioned that “a threshold is about to be crossed,” stressing that when his office raises the alarm it signals more than ordinary human rights breaches or violations of international humanitarian law. He said the scale of the reported abuses means early action is needed.
Beyani described what he called massive violations of international human rights law and direct attacks on civilians by parties fighting in Darfur. Graphic footage and accounts that emerged late last month appear to show atrocities after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces took control of El-Fasher from government troops, ending a siege that had lasted over 500 days.
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher told the Security Council that “the horror is continuing,” warning civilians are still trapped amid widespread violence. Beyani’s office says several indicators of risk for mass atrocities are now present in Sudan, though it would take an international court to determine if genocide has occurred.
The International Criminal Court has also said it is deeply alarmed and is collecting evidence of mass killings, sexual violence, and other serious crimes allegedly carried out in El-Fasher.
At the same time, there are reports the RSF has agreed to a humanitarian ceasefire proposed by the US, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. The UN has warned conditions are worsening in North Darfur, where hundreds of thousands displaced from El-Fasher face severe shortages of food, clean water, and medical care. Aid groups are setting up new camps in Tawila and nearby areas, but more than 650,000 people remain in urgent need of assistance.
May Allah protect the innocent and grant relief to those suffering. Please keep the people of Darfur in your duas.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/