[ad_1]
19 June 2024 (Nairobi) – A human rights group urged the UN Secretary-General to act in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2736 and urgently work with the African Union (AU) to deploy a Civilian Protection Corps in El Fasher, North Darfur.
Human Rights Watch’s call follows the recent unlawful attack by Sudan’s warring parties on El Fasher, which killed hundreds of civilians, forced tens of thousands to flee, and left many facing starvation in and around the city.
There are reports that Sudan’s warring parties have launched attacks on densely populated areas of El Fasher, burning residential areas and deliberately attacking hospitals, all of which have been carried out by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
“The UN and AU urgently need to take action to protect civilians,” said Mohamed Osman, Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch.
In mid-May, clashes between Sudan’s rival forces escalated. On June 8, rapid security forces reportedly entered the South Hospital and opened fire as patients, family members and medical staff fled. The hospital was reportedly hit at least 14 times.
According to the international medical charity Doctors Without Borders, the hospital was shelled on 3 June, killing one patient, injuring another and damaging the hospital’s water tank.
Human Rights Watch stressed that thousands of homes have been burned since fighting broke out in April, especially by arson. These homes are mainly located in residential areas in the east of the city. Most of the fire incidents have been blamed on the Rapid Security Forces, whose arson is reportedly consistent with the 2023 attacks in West Darfur.
As of 12 June, 43 villages around El Fasher were reported to be affected by fire.
Fierce fighting reportedly broke out between the warring parties in and around the Abu Shouk internally displaced persons camp northwest of El Fasher.
A witness told Human Rights Watch that on June 8, at least one mortar shell and two other explosive weapons struck a volunteer-run first aid clinic in southern Abu Shouk following fighting nearby.
The attack injured four or five people inside the house, including volunteer medical staff and the child of one of the volunteers. Three people said the shelling came from the east, where the rapid rescue team is stationed, but Human Rights Watch was unable to confirm its origin.
Human Rights Watch said it received reports that on June 3, civilians were stopped, searched, and killed at the last checkpoint before the town of Melit as they fled through areas controlled by the Rapid Security Forces and their allies toward Melit, 60 kilometers north.
On June 11, an official from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that the violence has displaced 150,000 people in and around El Fasher in two months.
The fighting has reportedly exacerbated an already disastrous situation in El Fasher, especially for those already displaced. A recent preliminary Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis predicts that by September, 15 percent of the population in El Fasher and Zam Zam camp will face catastrophic food shortages, with many likely to starve to death.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch said the UN Security Council should act on the findings of the UN Panel of Experts on Darfur, including violations of the UN arms embargo by other countries, particularly the United Arab Emirates.
The organization also urged ICC member states to provide the court with timely information, support arrests and ensure the court has sufficient budget to deliver justice in Darfur and other cases before the court.
(English stone)
[ad_2]
Source link
