Last updated on August 29th, 2024 at 07:34 pm
Khartoum: At least 80 people were killed in an attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on a village in central Sudan’s Sinnar state, a local volunteer group said on Sunday. The Sinnar Youth Gathering said the RSF carried out a brutal assault on the village of Jalqni in Abu Hujar locality on Thursday after a five-day siege.
Trigger for Assault
The attack came after the villagers resisted an attempted kidnapping of girls by the RSF, after which the massacre ensued, the group said in a statement on Friday. “The RSF militia responded to the resistance from the villagers by opening fire indiscriminately and storming homes,” the statement said. The RSF has not commented so far on this incident.
RSF’s Control Over Sinnar State
The RSF have held large swathes of Sinnar state since June, including the state capital Singa, while the SAF retains parts of east Sinnar. Fighting here has forced more than 725,000 people to flee their homes, estimates the International Organization for Migration.
Greater Conflict in Sudan
Deadly fighting between the SAF and RSF has raged in Sudan since April 15, 2023, with at least 16,650 fatalities recorded so far. The UN estimates 10.7 million internally displaced people in Sudan, while nearly 2.2 million have fled to neighboring countries.
Ceasefire Talks Deadlocked, International Community Raises Alarm
Despite the continued ceasefire talks in Switzerland mediated between the US, Saudi Arabia, and Swiss mediators, the Sudanese army rejected attendance. Previous talks held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, have not been concluded with an agreement in the way of hostilities between the parties.
RSF’s Widening Control
The RSF, under the command of Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, also known as Hemetti, has seized large swathes of Sudan, including most of the capital Khartoum, the central state of Al-Jazira, the western Darfur region, and parts of Kordofan further south. The UN says that the fighting pits RSF against the Sudanese army commanded by Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and has brought the country near to famine.
Also, there have been accusations of war crimes by both sides, including deliberate attacks on civilians and obstruction of humanitarian aid. The Sudanese army was absent from the negotiations in Switzerland, but US Envoy to Sudan, Tom Perriello, expressed guarded optimism, saying that the talks have succeeded in pushing Sudan back up the international agenda at a time when it had fallen.
Reopening of the Adre Border Crossing
In a related development, Sudanese authorities announced the reopening of the western Adre border crossing with Chad for humanitarian deliveries. According to Perriello, opening the crossing has been an urgent demand now for months in order to pave the way for access of humanitarian aid in large parts of Darfur experiencing extreme starvation and hunger.