By Blessing Chinagorom
The United States Government has called on conflict forces in Sudan to immediately cease attacks in El Fasher city of North Darfur.
In a statement released by the Home Office Spokesperson on Wednesday stating that United States is alarmed by indications of an imminent offensive by the Rapid Support Forces and its affiliated militias.
“An offensive against El Fasher city would subject civilians to extreme danger, including the hundreds of thousands of displaced persons who have taken refuge there”, the United States added.
The US who is deeply troubled by credible reports that the RSF and its affiliated militias have razed multiple villages west of El Fasher, condemned reported indiscriminate aerial bombardments in the region by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and their continued limitations on life-saving humanitarian aid access.
“The leaders of the SAF and RSF and their affiliated militias face a choice, escalate the violence and perpetuate the suffering of their people, risking the disintegration of their country, or cease attacks, allow unhindered humanitarian access, and prepare in good faith for negotiations to end this war and restore power to the people of Sudan”, US said.
It was reported that at least 15 people were killed following attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied Arab militias on El-Fasher, Darfur region.
According to Sudan Tribune, Mubarak Seneen, a human activist in Zamzam camp, said the RSF attacked Zaghawa villages, west of El Fasher, capital of North Darfur on Saturday.
He accused RSF and the allied Arab militias of targeting civilians based on ethnicity. “Since last Thursday, RSF and allied militias launched massive attack on these villages west of El Fasher. It lasted three days, killing at least 15 and injuring many. Darmaa was completely burned, displacing its residents who arrived here in dire humanitarian conditions”.
He noted that majority of the residents fled after their homes were burnt down, revealing that those who survived arrived at the overcrowded Zamzam camp and described the violence as deadly.
The Rapid Support Forces and the allied Arab militias accused the villagers of being loyal to the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) led by Minni Minawi, who is the governor of Darfur.
The attacks on Zaghawa villages came days after Minawi declared his forces ready to fight the RSF to defend civilians.
Fears of large-scale ethnic violence between Zaghawa and Arab groups are rising, fueled by escalating tensions between RSF and pro-army movements in North Darfur.
Approximately 500,000 more people moved into the city during the fighting that broke out between the army, known as the Sudanese Armed Forces, SAF, and the RSF in Sudan’s capital Khartoum in April 2023. This happened after long-simmering tensions over integrating the rival forces came to a head.
