Sudanese Government Describes El Fasher Events as War Crimes, Warns of Local and Regional Repercussions
Sudanese government officials described the events in El Fasher, from its siege more than a year ago until its occupation by the Rapid Support Forces militia, as war crimes and crimes against humanity. They called on the international and humanitarian community to rescue the remaining civilians, including those who stayed in the city and those displaced to other areas.
The Minister of Culture, Information, and Tourism, Khalid Al-Aisir, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ambassador Hussein Al-Amin, and Ms. Mona Nour Al-Daim, Deputy Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, addressed a press conference today (Wednesday) in Port Sudan, presenting the latest humanitarian developments in the stricken city.
Deputy Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, Mona Nour El-Daim, described the events that took place in El Fasher over the past two days as a major tragedy. She stated that patients and the wounded were brutally and coldly executed in hospitals. She confirmed that the Rapid Support Forces militia overran the city and killed approximately 2,000 civilians in the 48 hours following their entry. She noted that the lives of unarmed civilians were taken mercilessly, and they were pursued during their displacement, leaving no escape for those fleeing who were subjected to persecution, murder, and rape.
For his part, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ambassador Hussein Al-Amin, criticized the international silence regarding what is happening in El Fasher. He said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been continuously informing the world, through its missions and at the presidential level, about the developments in the humanitarian situation in the country in general and in El Fasher in particular, but the response has been weak.
The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation explained that the Ministry is working in full coordination with other state institutions, and added: “We informed the international community about the mobilization of mercenaries by the militia, but the international community continued to turn a blind eye, and we are now warning of the spread of chaos in the region, as Sudan links two important regions, the Horn of Africa and the Sahel region, which have negative elements with multiple faces and activities.