Three weeks ago, paramilitaries led by General Hemedti attacked a military base in the town of Ardamata, in Western Darfur. After driving out of the army, they turned their aggression towards civilians. Witnesses who fled reported hundreds of civilians killed, incidents of rape, and torture. Human rights organizations are vehemently denouncing these crimes.
Amnesty International is highlighting ethnically motivated violence in Darfur, western Sudan. The Darfur Bar Association, representing lawyers in the region, reports a death toll exceeding 1000 in Ardamata. According to its president, Salih Mahmoud, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) under General Hemedti systematically targeted influential figures, especially from the Masalit community.
“They have lists of people they want to eliminate – community leaders, teachers, doctors, lawyers – anyone resisting is deemed an enemy of the RSF,” he explains, reached by phone by Alexandra Brangeon from the Africa desk.
“Some died in their homes, which were set on fire, while others were killed in the streets. However, the RSF aims to leave no evidence and has buried victims in mass graves.
The death toll is high, exceeding 1000, but certainty is elusive as no one has access to this region; it is highly dangerous.
This massacre is evidence of an ongoing ethnic cleansing; the primary targets are the Masalit, who historically own the land. The objective of this ethnic cleansing is to seize the land and eradicate its owners, specifically the Masalit.
The international community is well aware of what is happening there – the African Union, IGAD, the UN, and the Human Rights Council in Geneva. We are denouncing this genocide, but unfortunately, there is no political will; no one is taking action!”