(United Nations) The US ambassador to the United Nations warned Monday that a “large-scale massacre” could take place in the Sudanese town of El-Facher, capital of the North Darfur region and a hub for aid humanitarian.
El-Facher “is on the brink of a large-scale massacre,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the press following a meeting of the UN Security Council.
“This is not conjecture. This is the harsh reality faced by millions of people,” added the diplomat.
El-Facher serves as a humanitarian hub for Darfur, the western region where about a quarter of Sudan’s 48 million people live.
Welcoming many refugees, the city had until then been relatively spared from the fighting. But since mid-April, bombings and clashes have been reported in surrounding villages.
On Friday, the UN estimated that at least 43 people, including women and children, had been killed in fighting between the SAF (Sudanese Armed Forces) and the RSF (Rapid Support Forces) – supported by their allied militias. respective – since April 14, when the RSF began their advance towards El-Facher.
Since the start of the war on April 15, 2023, between the army of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane and the RSF, under the command of General Mohamed Hamdane Daglo, sexual, ethnic violence and scorched lands have resumed in Darfur.
“There are credible reports that the RSF and its allied militias have razed several villages west of El-Facher,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Monday.
“And as we speak, the RSF are planning an imminent attack on El-Facher,” the ambassador added, which would represent “a catastrophe on top of a catastrophe.”