In the midst of the country’s two-month-old war spreading into communities in the Darfur western province, the Regional Governor has been assassinated after publicly attributing civilian casualties to Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
Following accusations of “genocide” against the RSF and its allies, West Darfur State Governor Khamis Abakar was assassinated, according to a militia that he controlled. Details about his demise hasn’t been released, however, it has been confirmed by two government officials that, the RSF was involved.
The RSF was charged with “kidnapping and assassinating” the governor, the Sudanese Army said, and also made these claims on social media. The governor’s death contributed to a “new chapter” to the RSF’s “record of barbaric crimes that it has been committing against all Sudanese people,” the army said, labeling the act as a “brutal act.” A request for comments was not immediately answered by the RSF.
Mini Arko Minawi, the governor of the Darfur region, said that, the murdered West Darfur provincial governor, was kidnapped and exterminated hours after granting an interview to a media outlet.
Governor Abakar had previously claimed that, there needed to be an international intervention, because civilians were being killed. “Civilians are being killed randomly and in large numbers,” he stated.
However, a video footage circulated on social media that looked to show Abakar being detained by a gang of armed men, some of whom were dressed in RSF uniforms. Other videos appeared to show the governor on the ground with injuries to his neck and face. West Darfur governor’s kidnap and death, shows how fast the Sudanese war has expanded.
Moreover, hundreds of civilians have been killed and injured in the past week in el-Geneina, the provincial seat of West Darfur, as reported by local activists and UN authorities. The RSF and its allies have been rampaging through the city.
El-Geneina
Activists and locals in el-Geneina, reportedly alleged sexual assaults on several women inside their homes and while fleeing the conflict. Though the RSF ignored multiple requests for response, the RSF was accused of being responsible for almost all rape cases.
The UN representative in Sudan, Volker Perthes, asserted that, as the circumstances in Darfur worsened, his concerns about the condition in el-Geneina, has heightened, which had taken on a conflict of “ethnic dimension.”
“There is an emerging pattern of large-scale targeted attacks against civilians based on their ethnic identities, allegedly committed by Arab militias and some armed men in Rapid Support Force RSF’s uniform. These reports are deeply worrying and, if verified, could amount to crimes against humanity,” Perthes said in a statement.
Also, the UN Special Advisor on the Avoidance of Genocide, Alice Wairimu Nderitu, criticized “the shocking violence” in el-Geneina. In an issued statement, she cautioned that such violence might lead to “renewed campaigns of rape, murder, and ethnic cleansing amounting to atrocity crimes.”
Darfur however, was the epicenter of a genocide in the early 2000s, when ethnic Africans resented against the central government, blaming Khartoum’s Arab-dominated administration of prejudice. Former dictator Omar al-Bashir’s regime revenged by supporting local nomadic Arab fighters known as “Janjaweed” who targeted civilians.
Attacks ascribed to “Janjaweed” militias, who eventually changed into the RSF, and has since become a legalized government force in 2017, resulted in millions of displaced people and approximately 300,000 fatalities.
The RSF has described the battle in el-Geneina as a tribal battle, accusing the prior regime for fueling the flames. It stated that it was working to get assistance into the city.
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