Darfur, in western Sudan, is reviving its old demons. Looting, tribal attacks and violence, rape, instability… the violence has been spreading since the military coup in Khartoum left a security vacuum.
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In 2020, under pressure from the street, Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir falls. The first post-dictatorship power signs a peace agreement with the armed groups of Darfur. A year and a half and a military coup later, ending the democratic transition, the struggles between these groups are resurfacing. They are increasing the looting, in particular of infrastructure and equipment of the Joint Peace Mission of the United Nations and the African Union (Minuad) left after 13 years of presence in Darfur. And are also trying to recover food aid.
To the armed attacks of the rebels are added tribal clashes, seasonal clashes for land, water or resources which devastate homes, fields and crops, indicates AFP. From October to December 2021, they killed nearly 250 people, according to figures from an independent doctors’ union, which adds that rape, a recurring scourge in Darfur, is increasing.
“Security has deteriorated a lot in four months: regularly, armed men stop cars and extort passengers.”
Mohammed Issa, resident of Darfurat AFP
The military power points the finger at the armed groups. For Khartoum, they have not respected the 2020 peace agreement providing for the rebels to lay down their arms and demobilize their troops to integrate them into the regular forces. The generals also accuse the civilians they sacked with the putsch of not having taken the necessary measures when they were at the helm at the head of state.
However, the situation is anarchic on the ground because “armed groups do not have full control over their men in the region”, told AFP a senior officer on condition of anonymity. There are weapons everywhere since the war which has left at least 300,000 dead and 2.5 million displaced according to the UN since 2003.
The suspension of aid from international donors in retaliation for the coup caused Sudan to lose 40% of its budget.
“The international community must support us.”
General Abderrahmane Abdelhamidat AFP
On February 20, faced with a dramatic humanitarian situation, the European mission in Sudan nevertheless allocated 40 million euros to the country: “The European Union confirms its commitment to support the people of Sudan in areas requiring urgent humanitarian aid through international agencies”.
In Darfur, 1,000 kilometers from Khartoum, far from the central government, one inhabitant in three depends on humanitarian aid. According to the World Food Program (WFP), there are “two million people” who have no help in Sudan, and more particularly in Darfur, where almost all of the country’s three million displaced people live.
Like some of the Sudanese, the population of Darfur defies the military. “No one trusts the coup regime”said the spokesperson for the General Coordination for Refugees and Displaced Persons in Darfur, Adam Rejal. Faced with the anger of the demonstrators refusing their coming to Darfur, General al-Burhane – author of the October 25 coup – and his No. 2, General Mohammed Hamdane Daglo – head of the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces accused of abuses in the region – had to cancel their visit.
“Those in power today committed crimes in Darfur (during Omar al-Bashir’s time, editor’s note), why would they protect people now?
Adam Rejal, from the Coordination for Refugees and Displaced Persons in Darfurat AFP
“We must reinstall the civilian government otherwise everything will get worse”, insists Adam Rejal. An opinion that the demonstrators in Khartoum, Port-Sudan (east), Madani (center), Gedaref and Kassala (east) seemed to share on Monday, February 21, who shouted at the soldiers, and in particular at General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane, of “return to the barracks”.