Sudan Burns
Ethnic Cleansing and Forgotten Millions
Sudan is engulfed in flames. Since the civil war erupted in April 2023, a horrifying campaign of ethnic cleansing led by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has resulted in the burning of over 180 villages, towns, and cities. This chilling tactic mirrors the atrocities of the Darfur genocide, with the RSF wielding fire as a weapon to terrorize and displace civilians. Experts warn these actions bear the hallmarks of "ethnic cleansing," with the RSF targeting their Black Sudanese minority groups like the Masalit in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur. Satellite imagery reveals the devastating scope of the destruction, with some settlements like Misterei experiencing repeated burnings, leaving over 60% of the town in ashes.
The human cost is immense. The UN has documented over 100 incidents of sexual violence, adding another layer of depravity to this conflict. More than 8.4 million people, equivalent to one in six Sudanese, have been forcibly displaced from their homes. This includes Ibrahim (not his real name), a human rights worker who dared to provide clean water to those whose sources had been poisoned or destroyed by the RSF. Because of his ethnicity and his work, Ibrahim became a target. He narrowly escaped assassination, his office burned to the ground. Fearing for his life, he fled to neighboring Chad, losing everything – his home, his family members, and his life's work. Ibrahim's story is a tragic microcosm of the suffering endured by countless Sudanese.
The RSF: A Legacy of Persecution
The perpetrators of this violence, the RSF, are far from new to such brutality. They are, in essence, a reincarnation of the notorious Janjaweed militias that terrorized Darfur in the early 2000s. This Arab supremacist group, under the leadership of Hemedti, has a long history of marginalizing and attacking Black Sudanese populations, regardless of religion. Their actions are fueled by a pan-Arabist vision that views Arab dominance as essential, a dangerous ideology that has fueled instability and suffering for decades.
The Janjaweed's legacy of ethnic cleansing, displacement, and violence lives on through the RSF. Their tactics in Darfur today – burning villages, poisoning water sources, and committing sexual violence – mirror those used in the past. This resurgence of ethnic tensions, intertwined with the ongoing civil war, creates a complex web where the RSF exploits the chaos to escalate attacks on non-Arab groups.
A Staggering Scale of Destruction
Investigators at the Centre for Information Resilience have verified over 180 fires, affecting more than 108 villages, towns and cities since the war began. Over a quarter (27%) of these settlements have been deliberately set ablaze more than once. The Darfur region has been hardest hit, with El Geneina and Misterei experiencing repeated attacks. In Misterei, satellite imagery shows that between 11 and 31 October 2023, a staggering 3,750 square meters (over 60% of the town) was burned in what appears to be a series of strategic attacks.
The International Community Must Act
The international community's deafening silence is nothing less than betrayal. This lack of action emboldens the perpetrators and condemns innocent civilians to a brutal present with an uncertain future. The question remains: Will history repeat itself? Can the world muster the will to hold those accountable and protect the millions whose lives hang in the balance? Or will Sudan be left to smolder in forgotten silence?
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