UN: 2.5 million people uprooted since the conflict between Sudan’s army and RSF began

The United Nations stated on Tuesday that more than 2.5 million people have been displaced since the conflict between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began. Officials in Darfur, Sudan have called for an international investigation due to reports of violence, including the killing and shooting of civilians as they attempt to flee to Chad by foot.

A three-day ceasefire brokered by the United States and Saudi Arabia has brought relative calm to the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, providing some respite to the residents. However, there have been reports of increased looting across the city.

According to a Sudanese army source, a massive fire broke out at the intelligence headquarters in Khartoum, allegedly caused by the RSF bombarding the building. However, an RSF source countered this claim, stating that an army drone bombed the building where RSF fighters had gathered.

Since the conflict erupted in April, it has resulted in the deaths of over 2,000 people across Sudan, with up to 1,100 killed in the city of El Geneina alone, according to the US State Department.

UN officials have stated that the violence in Darfur has taken an ethnic dimension, with reports of RSF and Arab militias targeting non-Arab tribes. Witnesses reported assailants targeting non-Arab residents based on their skin color. Arab nomadic tribes and the RSF have been driving the violence in El Geneina over the past two months.

Residents have been fleeing the city en masse, attempting to reach the border on foot to Chad. Reports have emerged of people being shot and killed as they try to escape El Geneina. At least 150,000 people have fled Darfur into Chad since the conflict began.

The governor of Darfur has called on the UN Security Council to allow the International Criminal Court to investigate the crimes and assassinations in the region. The UN envoy to Sudan referred to reports of attacks allegedly committed by Arab militias and individuals in RSF uniforms, including targeted killings, rapes, and other atrocities that may amount to crimes against humanity.

In an audio recording, the RSF commander denounced the tribal conflict in El Geneina and claimed that he had ordered his men not to intervene, accusing the army of distributing weapons to civilians. The situation in Darfur is drawing comparisons to the genocidal war that occurred in the region in 2003.