ALBAWABA - In a report released earlier this week, the UNHCR warned that escalating violence across the Darfur region in Sudan has sparked fears that atrocities committed two decades ago in Darfur could be repeated, voicing grave concern over the development.
The horrific events in Ardamata, an area on the northeast outskirts of West Darfur's state capital el-Geneina took place from 2 to 6 November between RSF fighters and Sudanese Army soldiers near a military base, claiming the lives of more than 1,300 people from the Massalit tribe, in the Western Darfur town of el-Geneina allegedly by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The report mentioned that two decades ago, thousands were killed across Darfur and millions displaced in fighting between Sudanese Government forces backed by allied militia known as the Janjaweed on one side, and rebel groups resisting the autocratic rule of President Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted in 2019.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, warned in a statement saying: "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,” he Grandi.
A report by The Roots Organization for Human Rights and Violation Monitoring, a local Sudanese NGO, said that since the RSF took over facilities belonging to the Sudanese army's 15th Infantry Division, 1,300 have been reportedly killed in Darfur.
The organization said that more than 2,000 people were wounded and 500 detained as the RSF and its Arab militiamen allies brutally attacked civilians across Ardamata. Over 300 others are missing, it said.
Since the conflict between the army and a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began in mid-April, more than 4.8 million people in Sudan have been forced to flee their homes. An additional 1.2 million people have sought safety in nearby nations.
Over 8,000 individuals are said to have fled to Chad in the last week alone, according to UNHCR reports, however, this number is probably underestimated because of difficulties in registering new arrivals.
