Clashes, artillery fire and air-strikes again surged in Sudan’s capital June 25, as the internal conflict between rival factions that has displaced 2.5 million people and caused a humanitarian crisis entered its 11th week. But with world media focusing on the fighting in Khartoum, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is raising the alarm about a dramatic escalation in western Darfur region, where members of the Masalit ethnic group are being targeted by Arab militias aligned with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). (Arab News)
Authorities from the autonomous Sultanate of Dar Masalit reported that more than 5,000 people were killed and some 8,000 wounded in ethnically targeted attacks in and around West Darfur state capital El Geneina between April 24 and June 12, with the number having only risen since then. In a statement June 19, the Sultanate described the continuing attacks as “ethnic cleansing” and “genocide.” (Radio Dabanga)
Photo of displaced Masalit children: Radio Dabanga
UN Secretary-General condemns Sudan air-strike
The office of UN Secretary-General António Guterres on July 8 formally condemned that day’s airstrike in Omdurman, Sudan, that claimed at least 22 lives. The apparent fighter-jet strike took place in the Dar es Salaam district of Omdurman, within a key supply route for the RSF. The RSF blamed the Sudanese army for the attack, while the army claims that the RSF bombed the area while the army’s jets were overhead. The strike resulted in one of the largest death tolls in a single attack of the conflict so far. (Jurist)