Situation in West Darfur capital ‘catastrophic’ as attacks continue, more flee to Chad

Violence continued to ravage El Geneina in West Darfur on Thursday. Tribal attacks on various parts of the city have left at least 90 people dead. Again, thousands of people fled to neighbouring Chad.

During clashes between army soldiers and paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the West Darfur capital  on Monday, at least 25 people were killed. Thousands fled their homes.

On Tuesday, the violence turned tribal, when gunmen in Land Cruisers and on motorcycles attacked various neighbourhoods in El Geneina and the surrounding camps for the displaced. The attacks left an unknown number of people dead and injured. Many more people fled.

A woman who lived in one of the camps for the displaced adjacent to the city, told Radio Dabanga that “all the shelters in our camp burned to ashes”.

Radio Dabanga’s correspondent in El Geneina reported that at least 90 people have been killed the past days. “Again, thousands of people crossed the border into Chad, most of whom are women, children, and the elderly. “The situation they are in is extremely dire, with high temperatures and a lack of trees for shade or tents to shelter them”, he said.

According to estimates of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR ), more than 20,000 people had fled to neighbouring Chad by Monday.

‘Catastrophic’

Reports on social media described the situation in El Geneina as “catastrophic”, with water and power stations destroyed. Many homes, markets, banks, and other buildings burned to the ground.

Sultan Saad Bahreldin, the sultan of the Masalit tribe as well painted a grim picture of the situation. “The wounded cannot reach what is left of the hospitals and clinics and bodies lying in the streets cannot be buried because of the ongoing attacks.”

He blamed the army and the RSF for “keeping aloof”.

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) media office tweeted yesterday that the situation inside and outside Khartoum is stable, except for West Darfur “where local authorities are dealing with the tribal conflict”.