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Interviews with people who fled El-Geneina, West Darfur, to Adre in Chad, have revealed horrific stories of armed “Arab” militias, backed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), killing people who have left El Geneina to fled on foot. Our UN human rights officials have heard multiple, corroborating accounts that “Arab” militia groups primarily target adult males from the Masalit community. All interviewees also spoke of seeing corpses scattered on the road – and the stench of decomposition. Several people said they had seen dozens of bodies in an area called Shukri, about 10 km from the border, where one or more Arab militia groups are said to have a base.
We are deeply concerned that such wanton killings are ongoing and urge immediate action to stop them. People fleeing El-Geneina must be given safe passage and humanitarian organizations must be allowed access to the area to collect the remains of the dead.
Of the 16 people we have been able to interview so far, 14 have testified that they witnessed summary executions and the shooting of groups of civilians on the road between El-Geneina and the border – i.e. the shooting of people at close range had to lie on the ground or open fire in crowds. The testimonies tell of murders that took place on June 15 and 16, but also in the past week. We understand that the killings and other violence continue and are accompanied by continued hate speech against the Masalit community, including calls to kill them and drive them out of Sudan.
A 37-year-old man said that of his group of 30 people who fled to the Chad border, only 17 made it across. Some were killed after coming under fire from RSF and “Arab” militia vehicles near the border with Chad, while others were summarily executed, he said. Those who survived had their phones and money looted by gunmen shouting “You are slaves, you are Nuba”.
A 22-year-old woman gave similar accounts of murders. She told how a seriously injured young man had to be left on the ground because there was no way they could get him across the border to safety. “We had to leave him behind because we only had one donkey with us,” she said. It is difficult to estimate how many wounded were left to die in such conditions.
Two interviewees stated separately that they, along with a group of people, had been ordered by the RSF to leave El-Geneina. One said she was beaten with sticks while told to “get up and go to Chad – this is not your country.”
The High Commissioner for Human Rights calls on the leaders of the RSF to immediately and unequivocally condemn and end the killing of people fleeing El-Geneina, and other violence and hate speech based on ethnicity. Those responsible for the killings and other violence must be held accountable.
El-Geneina has become uninhabitable. Essential infrastructure has been destroyed and humanitarian aid traffic to El-Geneina continues to be blocked. We urge the immediate establishment of a humanitarian corridor between Chad and El-Geneina, and a safe passage for civilians from areas affected by hostilities.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
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