A genocide may have been committed in the West Darfur town of El Geneina, one of the worst atrocities of Sudan’s years-long civil war, according to a report published by Human Rights Watch (HRW).
It said the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and their Arab allies committed ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity against ethnic Masalites and non-Arab communities in the city.
The report calls for sanctions for those responsible for the atrocities, including RSF leader Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti.
It is feared that around 15,000 people were killed in El Geneina last year.
The HRW report documents evidence of a systematic campaign by the RSF and allied militias last year to evict Massalit residents from El Geneina.
Witnesses reported how the RSF rounded up and shot men, women and children trying to escape ethnic violence in the restive city.
At least “thousands of people” were killed between April and November 2023 and “hundreds of thousands” were left as refugees, the 218-page report said.
“The events are among the worst atrocities against civilians to date in the current conflict in Sudan,” it said.
RSF leader General Hemedti denied that his fighters had deliberately attacked civilians.
But HRW says he is among those in charge of commanding the forces that committed the atrocities.
HRW researchers interviewed more than 220 Sudanese refugees in Chad, Uganda, Kenya and South Sudan and remotely between June 2023 and April 2024.
They also reviewed and analyzed over 120 photos and videos of the events, satellite images and documents shared by humanitarian organizations to support reports of the abuses.
The human rights organization called for further investigations to determine whether there is an intention to exterminate the Massalit community, suggesting genocide.
The United Nations and the International Criminal Court prosecutor have discussed war crimes in Darfur but have not specifically mentioned genocide.
Last June, West Darfur Governor Khamis Abakar was killed just hours after accusing RSF of genocide. He is the highest known official killed since the conflict began in April.
The RSF says it is not involved in what it calls a “tribal conflict” in Darfur.
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