UN: Attack on El Fasher Must Stop Immediately
The Citizen
A spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the brutal attacks by the Rapid Support Forces on the besieged city of El Fasher and the adjacent Abu Shouk camp for internally displaced persons in North Darfur, Sudan, are “unacceptable and must stop immediately.”
These attacks killed at least 89 civilians in the ten days leading up to August 20, according to the UN News website.
Jeremy Laurence, speaking at a UN agencies’ press briefing in Geneva, expressed his fear that the actual number of civilian deaths is likely higher.
“We are particularly appalled that, among the latest wave of civilian killings, 16 appear to have been summary executions,” the spokesperson said.
He continued, “Most of the victims were killed in the Abu Shouk camp, and they belonged to the African Zaghawa tribe.”
He noted that in another case in El Fasher, a victim was asked about his tribe and was killed after he responded that he was from the African Berti tribe.
Lawrence said, “This pattern of attacks on civilians and deliberate killings, which constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law, deepens our concerns about ethnically motivated violence.”
Situation Reached a Critical Point
Regarding the situation in El Fasher, the spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said that the situation there had reached a “critical point” after more than a year of siege, and that there was a growing risk of famine in both the city and other areas of North Darfur.
He expressed alarm at reports that those trying to deliver critical aid were again being attacked.
He emphasized that humanitarian workers and aid workers are explicitly protected under international humanitarian law and must not be targeted, adding that “attacks on humanitarian efforts only exacerbate the human rights situation of civilians.”
He conveyed the call of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, to all parties to the conflict to take immediate and concrete measures to ensure the protection of civilians, including providing safe passage for those wishing to leave conflict-affected areas and facilitating unimpeded humanitarian access to those in need.