Salaamedia Report
Many reports of international organizations and UN agencies indicate that the war of the 15th of April 2023 AD has been accompanied by a noticeable increase in rates of violations at an unprecedented rate in the history of wars in Sudan. Human beings’ abuses have increased in Darfur region during the current war. These violations are clearly manifested in the figures and numbers of the displaced people, the dead, and the aerial bombardments, the destruction of public and private facilities and properties, the rarity of food and medicines, and unlimited statistics of malnutrition. This is in addition to the tribal conflict, excessive proliferation of weapons and the severity of polarization by both sides of the war.
Looking at SalaaMedia Center’s previous reports and through monitoring various reports from several parties, it is noted that the number of victims and the destruction of health and service facilities is steadily increasing as a result of the ongoing fighting, airstrikes and artillery shelling between the two warring parties; in addition to the imminent danger facing civilians fleeing the hell of war, especially those who were unable to leave due to lack of money. The majority of civilians who were unable to flee cannot avoid the violence directed against them by the warring parties, in addition to facing the lack of food and medicines, at a time when to the conflict exchange accusations of violations against civilians. The displaced from the 2003 war attribute the exacerbation of the current crisis to the vacuum left by the departure of the UN mission UNAMID in 2020. Adam Rijal, the Coordinator of the displaced and refugees in the Darfur region, said,” the departure of the mission uncovered them and left the matter of their protection to the unknown”
This report reviews the current situation of civilians and monitors and analyzes all violations against civilians in Darfur since the outbreak of the current war.
Airstrikes on Darfur Cities
The Armed Forces Air Force launched more than 15 airstrikes on the city during the period from September 3, 2023 to July 14, 2024 at different times, peaking in the first three months of this year. Eight raids were monitored, the most violent of which was on December 29, 2023. According to Darfur 24 newspaper, citing eyewitnesses, most of the raids on Nyala city took place in the middle of the night. While most of the raids, out of 31 raids in North Darfur, were concentrated on the city of Alfashir, then extended to the cities of “Millit, Kabkabia, Kutum, Donki Al-Baashim, Alzurug, and Al-koma”, according to what was reported by Darfur24 newspaper on March 25 and 26, 2024. As for the States of West and East Darfur, they were not exposed to more air raids compared to the States of North and South Darfur, as the Armed Forces’ Air Force launched three air raids on the city of Al-Daien, leaving 44 dead and 62 wounded; while the city of Al-Jenena witnessed two raids, leaving one dead and six wounded, according to Darfur 24 newspaper.
According to the available statistics, it is noticeable that the city of Nyala is the city that received the most airstrikes launched by the Armed Forces’ aircrafts on the Darfur region. The bombardment intensified and reached its peak when the Rapid Support Forces took control after the Armed Forces withdrew from the city, which led to an increase in the number of civilian casualties.
.North Darfur State comes in second place, as the airstrikes focused on Alfashir city, especially recently after some armed struggle movements joined the fighting alongside the armed forces. (Read the full report)
The aircrafts Used in Airstrikes
Reports revealed through most eyewitnesses’ testimonies that the aircrafts used in the airstrikes on the cities of the region were MiG fighters’ jets and Russian-made Antonovs. In contrast, citizens of the city of Nyala reported that the Rapid Support Forces used drones to attack the positions the Armed Forces in the center of the city during the period of intense fighting between them.
Destruction of Health Sector in Alfashir City
Health facilities in the city were subjected to 51 attacks by both sides of the war, between April 15 and July 24, 2023, according to the United Nations News website, citing the World Health Organization (WHO). The Salaamedia Center monitored the destruction of at least 28 health facilities in Alfashir city, both public and private, equally. The specter of famine is threatening Darfur region if we take into account the warning issued by United Nations World Food Program in May 2024, warning that time is running out to confront the specter of famine threatening Darfur, due to the escalating clashes between the warring belligerents in Alfashir city obstructing efforts to provide humanitarian aid, especially the restrictions imposed by the authorities in Port Sudan on the process of delivering aid, which threatens the World Food Program’s plan to provide any assistance to the people of Darfur.
In the same context, three UN agencies explained in the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report that the risk of the famine threatens all parts of Darfur due to the continuation of the conflicts and the decline in agricultural production. the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification identified five stages of food security situations, the worst of which is the fifth which is disaster or famine, followed by the fourth stage, emergency, then the third, crisis, the second, stress, and finally the first, which is insecurity.
According to the report, North Darfur State comes first in the fifth phase with a percentage of 6%, followed by Central Darfur with 5%, then 4% for West and South States, and East Darfur with less than 1%. Subsequently, North Dafur tops the fourth phase with percentage of 28%, Central Darfur with 27%, West Darfur with 26%, then South Darfur with 24%, and for the second time East Darfur comes last with a percentage 12%. In the third phase, there is a convergence in the percentages recorded by the five States, as East and South Darfur recorded the highest percentage of 36% each with a difference of 1% for each of North, Central, and West Darfur, which recorded 35%. Here, East Darfur comes first with a percentage of 36%, followed by South, Central and West Darfur with 25% each, and North Darfur at the bottom with 23%. As for the first phase, we also find East Darfur with the highest percentage of 16%, South Darfur 11%, West Darfur with 10%, North Darfur with 9% and Central Darfur 8%. (full report).
Looking closely at the percentages recorded by the five States in all stages of the Integrated Classification, it becomes clear that North Darfur is the most threatened by the specter of famine, while East Darfur is the best off. If we link this to the impact of the war on the States of Darfur, especially those where civil societies were able to gain relative control over the situation on the ground by agreeing to avoid fighting, we find that East Darfur is not like its counterparts in terms of fighting, aerial bombardment and artillery, which resulted in being relatively the best in terms of agricultural production.
Malnutrition Rates
The UNICEF press release on May 30, 2024, that 15.6% of the children under the age of five in Central Darfur that 15.6% suffer from severe malnutrition, while the rate reaches 30% in Zamzam camp in North Darfur, is a warning bell; indicating that the situation has worsened in recent months, due to the ongoing conflict and obstacles to the delivery of humanitarian assistance. The same statement stated that Doctors Without Borders conducted examinations in Zamzam camp, in North Darfur in April 2024 which showed that the rate of malnutrition among the pregnant women and lactating mothers exceeds 33%; due to the cessation of food distribution by the World Food Program since May 2023. A tweet on the account of Mr. Toby Harward, Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator of the United Nations, on the X platform on July21, 2024 stated that 77 children were recently permitted in Spanish Doctors Without Borders hospital in the Rokoro area, Central Darfur, due to their suffering from severe malnutrition accompanied by medical complications, with the number increasing and the death rate rising. In another press release, UNICEF said it had been able to screen about 5.5 million children and provide life-saving treatment to more than 322,000 children suffering from severe malnutrition in Sudan since the outbreak of the conflict in April 2023.
This is in addition to what the Nutrition Department of the Ministry of Health, South Darfur State, revealed about the increase in cases of acute malnutrition accompanied by medical complications among children, according to the testimony of Howayda Abdullah, Director of the Nutrition Department in the State, to Darfur 24.
Tribal Conflicts and Weapons Proliferation
The Dafur region is considered one of the regions has been witnessing tribal or ethnic conflicts since 2023 AD, between a number of tribal groups. During this ongoing war which started on the 15th of April 2023 AD between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces which began in Khartoum and extended to large parts of Sudan, especially Darfur region, in which the forms of tribal polarization deepened and multiplied significantly by the two warring parties, including all the States of the region.
The Root Causes of Conflict in Darfur
The roots of the tribal conflict in Darfur date back to 2003 AD, and deepened further with the recent war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces, as the fire of this war spread to large parts of the region as well as the entire country, producing forms of severe tribal and ethnic polarization by both parties. The confrontations in the troubled region began only 9 days after the start of the war, when the city of Al-jenena witnessed a violent conflict that claimed the lives of 46 people.
However, estimates differed regarding the definition of wat happened in Al-Jenena, as some people consider it an old, renewed tribal and ethnic conflict, while others see it as a complex conflict whose burden is borne by the parties to the conflict.
The Extension of the Recent War to the Darfur
South Darfur has witnessed 16 cases of armed tribal conflict since April 2023, leaving at least 558 dead and 175 wounded. According to Darfur 24, the fighting broke out between two groups in (Kabem) in the (Ed Al-Fursan) area and (Abu Jaradil) on the border with Chad. Thr Umm Marai and adi Qargash areas also witnessed clashes that left about 120 dead. On November 18, 2023 AD, the fighting broke out in the city of Bouram, killing about 37 people and burning the city market, according to Darfur 24.
East Darfur State is considered the most stable State since the beginning of the war, and has not witnessed any tribal conflict during this period. Central Darfur State witnessed two conflicts between two groups which are socially closer to the Rapid Support Forces, which later contributed to the signing of a peace agreement between the warring tribes in the Mukjar locality, sponsored by the Rapid Support Forces. The region is now witnessing relative stability in comparison. During the period from February 2024 to April 2024, four armed tribal conflicts occurred in North Darfur, killing 45 people and wounding 49 people; despite the signing of a document by the native administration to ensure peaceful co-existence in the Millet locality in January 2024 AD; after clashes between citizens and elements of the joint force affiliated with armed movements. Currently, North Darfur State is witnessing battles that have been ongoing for months between the armed forces and movements on one hand and the Rapid Support Forces on the other hand.
Mobilization and Polarization
According to the analysis of the data collected, SalaaMedia noted that since the fighting began on April 15, 2023, both sides of the conflict have resorted to mobilization and polarization among their respective social entities and incubations in the region. As a result, a group of tribes and some civil administrations announced their support to for the armed forces. In return, the Rapid Support Forces followed the same approach, as leaders issued statements announcing their support for the Rapid Support Forces. It is worth noting that the armed forces’ intelligence had a major role in the tribal events that took place in West Darfur State, according to an investigation by Darfur24.