AU Envoy for Genocide Prevention Arrives in Sudan

The African Union envoy for the prevention of genocide arrived in Port Sudan, eastern Sudan, on Sunday to meet with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the judiciary.

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia faces accusations of committing mass killings that could amount to genocide after seizing control of El Fasher on October 26. The United States says the RSF committed genocide against the Masalit ethnic group in West Darfur.

Sudan News Agency (SUNA) reported that Adama Deng’s four-day official visit will include meetings with officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Justice, and Religious Affairs, as well as the Attorney General.

SUNA indicated that the envoy will be briefed on the situation in light of the RSF’s violations against civilians in several states, in addition to the threats to Sudan’s unity and stability posed by attacks supported by external actors.

She stated that the envoy’s visit comes within the context of the African Union’s concern for the security and stability of the country, and its efforts to end the conflict and halt the violations.

On Friday, Adama Deng addressed the UN Human Rights Council, which held an emergency session during which it condemned the Rapid Support Forces’ crimes in El Fasher and called on the fact-finding mission to conduct an urgent investigation into the violations committed in the city.

Deng, who read a joint statement on behalf of the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide during the Human Rights Council session, said that the situation in Sudan, particularly in El Fasher, Darfur, and Greater Kordofan, had reached a critical and tragic stage.

He explained that survivors from the Zamzam camp, located 12 kilometers southwest of El Fasher, recounted being under siege-like conditions, while a humanitarian worker reported that the fighters intended to kill the residents. Adama Deng emphasized that this “constitutes a crime against humanity and a crime of genocide.”