A genocide is unfolding in Darfur and the world must act, the Sudanese government has said.
Sudan’s ambassador to the UK issued the stark warning at a news briefing in London after the fall of North Darfur capital Al Fashir to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Multiple reports of atrocities are emerging from Darfur once again, 20 years after it first made headlines in a conflict the world said should never be repeated.
Thousands are thought to have been killed, with women raped and civilians kidnapped for ransom.
Ambassador Babikir Elamin said the world is just standing by.
“It certainly seems that the international community is either helpless or just not interested,” he said. “We need to stop this mayhem.”
He singled out the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for helping the RSF, labelling it the “enabler of genocide”.
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Britain has close ties to the UAE and British-supplied weapons are reported to have turned up on the battlefield in Sudan, allegedly supplied by the UAE.
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“The UK government must put pressure on the UAE,” the ambassador said. “It’s well placed being a permanent member of the UN security council.”
A UAE official said it “categorically rejects any claims of providing any form of support to either warring party since the onset of the civil war, and condemn atrocities committed by both Port Sudan Authority and RSF”.
“The latest UN Panel of Experts report makes clear that there is no substantiated evidence that the UAE has provided any support to RSF, or has any involvement in the conflict,” a spokesperson said.
“Since the onset of the civil war, the UAE has consistently supported regional and international efforts to achieve an immediate ceasefire, protect civilians, and ensure accountability for violations committed by all warring parties.
“The UAE is part of the Quad which in September issued a joint statement calling for a three-month humanitarian truce to enable the swift entry of humanitarian aid to all parts of Sudan and to lead immediately to a permanent ceasefire.
“That statement also underlined that there is no military solution to the conflict in Sudan. Only a transition not controlled by the warring parties, leading to an independent civilian-led government, can secure Sudan’s future.”
‘Ample time to act’
Sudan has suffered a brutal civil war for more than two years. More than 150,000 people are thought to have died. And yet, other conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine have received far more attention.
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The RSF paramilitary rebel force besieged Al Fashir for 18 months, to the point of starvation, before capturing it. Residents resorted to eating animal feed and leather.
An investigation by Sky News found the Sudanese forces made arrangements for their own safe passage from the city before it was captured.
It is the conflict the world swore would never happen again, and yet it has. Twenty years ago, the Janjaweed militia committed a genocide killing 300,000 people. In their current iteration, the rebranded RSF are also running amok, once again.
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Ambassador Babikir told Sky News the world had “ample time to act” before history repeated itself.
“Janjaweed needs to be dealt with like we dealt with ISIS,” he said.
Read more:
Inside the epicentre of Sudan’s war
The men facing death to smuggle food to Sudan
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The British government says events in Darfur are “truly horrifying” and threaten one of the worst humanitarian crises in the 21st century.
Without more intervention from the international community, that crisis is only likely to deepen.
