In free fall, Pg6

Key Highlights:

• The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) captured El-Fasher in the Darfur region in late October, committing mass killings and atrocities.
• The RSF, formerly the Janjaweed militia, is accused of ethnic cleansing against non-Arab communities and controls five of Darfur’s capitals.
• Over 12 million people have been displaced and tens of thousands killed since Sudan’s civil war began in April 2023.
• The United Nations describes Sudan as facing the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with both the army and RSF accused of war crimes.

Sudan

Detailed Insights:

• The RSF's actions in El-Fasher included a massacre at a maternity hospital, demonstrating impunity through social media postings.
• The civil war started after the military coup in 2021, when the army insisted that the RSF integrate with the regular army, breaking their alliance.
• The military government, backed by Egypt, controls most of Sudan, while the RSF, supported by the UAE, dominates Darfur.
• The fall of El-Fasher highlights the RSF's entrenchment in its stronghold, risking further death, destruction, and state collapse in Sudan.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Paramilitary Forces: Armed groups not part of a country's official military.
• Ethnic Cleansing: The systematic removal of an ethnic group from a territory.
• War Crimes: Violations of the laws of war, including atrocities against civilians.