ACJPS: Concerns mount over Darfur ‘SAF-RSF assault on civilians’

The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) expressed grave concern on Tuesday over the deliberate targeting of civilians by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Two documented incidents have resulted in the deaths of 41 people and numerous injuries in South Darfur’s capital of Nyala and North Darfur’s Donki Shatta, a village situated northeast of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur

Between October 23 and 25, 2023, Nyala, witnessed fierce clashes between SAF and RSF, resulting in SAF’s withdrawal from its base in the 16th division in Nyala. This withdrawal provided an opportunity for RSF to seize control of the city.

ACJPS documented 39 fatalities from the gunfight, with the victims’ bodies left on the main street until a youth initiative volunteered to provide a dignified burial. The incident also caused substantial property loss and destruction, compelling residents to flee to safer neighbourhoods.

ACJPS states a Sudanese Airforce Unit Antonov aircraft, operating under the SAF, carried out an aerial bombardment on Donki Shatta, at approximately 8:00 am on November 10.

The activist organisation states that the attack killed two female residents, one being a child, and injured two other children. The injured children were subsequently transferred to El Fasher Hospital for medical treatment.

ACJPS urgently calls for an immediate halt to the Sudanese conflict, urging authorities to protect human rights and address democratic demands.

The organisation also calls on RSF and SAF to uphold civilian rights, facilitate aid, engage in dialogue, take responsibility for harm, and collaborate for a lasting solution, appealing to international bodies for intervention and observer deployment in ceasefire agreements.