RSF accused of ethnically motivated killings in Darfur
June 4, 2024 (EL FASHER) – On Tuesday, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) allegedly executed nine people based on their ethnicity as they fled the ongoing conflict in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, towards the town of Mellit.
Since May 10th, the historic capital has been ravaged by fierce battles between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and allied armed movements against the RSF, resulting in significant civilian casualties and widespread infrastructural damage.
Despite international and regional calls for restraint, the RSF continues its offensive to seize the city, which is already overburdened with displaced people. They are also accused of intentionally shelling populated areas with heavy artillery, forcing residents to flee.
Mohamed Jedo, a relative of the victims, told Sudan Tribune that “an RSF force in northern El Fasher stopped a vehicle carrying civilians fleeing to Mellit. They ordered nine young men out of the vehicle and shot them dead in front of their families.”
He believes the killings were ethnically motivated, as RSF members accused the victims of supporting the joint force of armed movements battling the RSF on the outskirts of El Fasher.
The heavy RSF presence along the road between El Fasher and Mellit has severely hampered those trying to escape the besieged city. Jedo reported that RSF members are committing widespread abuses against fleeing civilians, including torture, murder, and detention under the pretence of supporting the armed movements, as well as extorting exorbitant fees from drivers transporting people.
Concerns are mounting that North Darfur could descend into inter-tribal conflict due to the sharp polarization between the warring parties, with Arab tribes generally supporting the RSF and African tribes backing the SAF and allied movements.
Since late last year, the RSF has controlled four of the five states in the Darfur region: South, West, Central, and East Darfur. Their ongoing efforts to capture North Darfur have been met with steadfast resistance from the army, armed movements, and local communities defending El Fasher.
Meanwhile, eyewitnesses reported that Sudanese Armed Forces’ warplanes carried out intensive airstrikes on RSF positions in eastern El Fasher. RSF anti-aircraft guns attempted to retaliate, while ground clashes using various weapons continued in the eastern part of the city, resulting in further civilian casualties.