Khaberni - The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, today, Friday, called for an "independent, transparent, and rapid" investigation into the massacres and severe violations committed in the city of Al-Fasher and its surroundings in North Darfur state, western Sudan, since the Rapid Support Forces took over the city.
The spokesperson for the Commission, Seif Magango, during an online press conference from Geneva, said that the Commission received reports of "horrific atrocities" committed by the Rapid Support Forces since their attack on Al-Fasher on October 23, including "mass killings, looting, rape, and assaults on humanitarian workers."
Magango added that the death toll among civilians "and those incapacitated from fighting" could reach hundreds, noting that the UN office received videos and photos documenting severe breaches of international humanitarian law and human rights.
He also pointed to "disturbing reports" about attacks targeting the Saudi hospital and other health centers in the city, as well as testimonies indicating that at least 25 women were raped inside a shelter for displaced persons near Al-Fasher University, forcing about 100 families to flee under gunfire.
Magango emphasized that "these violations could rise to crimes under international law," stressing the necessity for independent and comprehensive investigations to hold those responsible accountable, and to ensure the rights of the victims and their families to justice and reparation.
Even though the leader of the Rapid Support Forces, Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo "Hemedti," acknowledged "excesses" in Al-Fasher and pledged to form investigative committees, Magango stressed that "the responsibility to initiate the investigation rests with the Sudanese authorities," with an emphasis on the importance of the investigation being independent and transparent.
As of October, the Rapid Support Forces took control of Al-Fasher city, the last stronghold of the army in Darfur, amidst warnings of the risks of dividing the country, as "Rapid Support" now controls all five Darfur states, while the army retains control over most other states, including the capital Khartoum.
The United Nations warned today, Friday, of the deteriorating humanitarian conditions of civilians besieged for about 500 days in the city of Al-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State, southwestern Sudan.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs explained that the besieged civilians face dire humanitarian conditions described by the United Nations as horrific, noting that people are left without food, water, and basic necessities to survive.
According to UN estimates, about 36,000 civilians have fled since last Sunday from Al-Fasher due to the fighting, while many have headed to the "Tawila" area, which already hosted about 650,000 displaced persons.
Yesterday, Thursday, the United Nations Security Council strongly condemned the attack launched by the Rapid Support Forces on the city of Al-Fasher in the Darfur region, demanding an end to it.
The statement called for allowing access to humanitarian aid and providing safe passages for civilians, while also rejecting the establishment of parallel governance structures in areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces.
