The militias forcibly displaced one million people, killed hundreds, and burned 209 villages in North Darfur, Says Minister

By: Mohamed Babiker

Minister of Social Welfare Mohamed Adam Bakhit confirmed during a press conference held today at the Social Security Tower in Port Sudan regarding the humanitarian situation in Darfur that El Fasher, the areas of Shanab al-Assad, and al-Dab al-Asi will be the headquarters of the militias, and that Darfur will be the graveyard of the Janjaweed.
The minister stated that the militias in North Darfur have committed a number of violations, in addition to burning more than 50 villages, , besides the displacement of residents of Tawila, Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps, and the villages of Shagrat, which contain the Golo Dam, the main feeder for the El Fasher water supply line.
He indicated that this is an attempt to further torture citizens by violating their rights.
The Minister of Social Development said that the scope of the attacks expanded to include Umm Kadada locality, where the city was looted, its residents killed, and the equivalent of one million forcibly displaced. 209 villages were burned, all livestock and vehicles were stolen, and the city market was burned after being looted.
The attacks also included areas around Umm Kadada, such as Brosh and Jabal Hala, to which those fleeing the hell of the fighting fled. They are now facing dangerous humanitarian conditions due to the shortage of food and medical supplies, which has led to the deaths of women, children, and the elderly.
This requires urgent intervention from the state and the international community, which has remained silent, to save the lives of these victims.
In the same context, Babiker Hamdeen, Minister of Health and Social Welfare in the Darfur government, expressed his condemnation of the silence of the international community and humanitarian organizations regarding the continued practices of the militia.
The militia has not implemented UN Resolution 2637, which obligated it to lift the siege on El Fasher and stop attacks on civilians. However, its violence has escalated, exacerbating the health situation to the point where all hospitals and health facilities are out of service. Hamdeen called on the international community to take a decisive stance against the countries supporting the militia (the UAE and Chad) for their support and participation in attacks against women and children, violations against society in general, and breaches of international law.
For his part, Mohamed Abdel Wahab, representative of the Humanitarian Aid Commission, stated that the displacement statistics have become frightening, with the number of displaced persons exceeding 600,000.
This statistic does not include those who have fled the militia’s hellish conditions.
He called for protection to save the lives of those affected and for the urgent provision of food, water, and medical care. He stated that the militia’s goal is to empty the villages and forcibly displace them, with the number of villages displaced in North Darfur now reaching 400.
He called for the militia to be classified as a terrorist organization.
Ali Abdullah, the representative of the native administration of the Malha area, which had been transformed from a safe haven for displaced people to North Darfur and El Fasher, appealed to the authorities to address the situation.
The area’s market was burned, its wealth was looted, and its residents, who wandered aimlessly in the valleys and mountains, were persecuted.
The death toll in the first attack reached 300, in addition to the deaths of children and the elderly. 50,000 families were displaced, and solar panels used to power water wells were looted. Mohammed Sharaf El-Din, the representative of the local community lighting authority in Umm Kadada, confirmed that all the aforementioned violations and practices are consistent with the militia’s behavior in all the areas it entered, where the rights of innocent citizens were violated.