April 2021 Geneina attacks

Last updated
April 2021 Geneina attacks
Part of Ethnic conflict in West Darfur
DateApril 3–8, 2021
Location
al-Jabal, al-Jamarik, Krinding, Al-Samaga, El Geneina, West Darfur, Sudan
Result Inconclusive
Belligerents
Masalit self-defense groups Janjaweed
Rapid Support Forces
Chadian Arabs
Casualties and losses
144 people killed, 233 injured

Between April 3 and 8, 2021, clashes broke out between Arabs and Masalit in El Geneina, Sudan following the killing on April 3 of two Masalit men on a road separating Arab and Masalit neighborhoods in Krinding. At least 144 people were killed and 233 injured in the clashes. [1] The clashes were the second major conflict in Krinding in 2021, with ethnic clashes occurring in January as well that killed 163 people. [2]

Contents

Background

In mid-2020, the Juba Peace Agreement was signed between the Sudanese government and various rebel groups in Juba, South Sudan. The goal of the peace agreement was to end the War in Darfur and the systemic massacres against non-Arab groups in the region. [3] The city of El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, had been a flashpoint between Arabs and Masalit as the city was the home of the Masalit Sultanate, and many Arabs had migrated to the area in the decades prior. When the war in Darfur broke out after non-Arab groups disgruntled with the reign of Omar al-Bashir rebelled against the government, Bashir recruited Arab militias into the Janjaweed, which committed genocide against various non-Arab groups in Darfur. In 2013, many Janjaweed were recruited into the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a government-backed paramilitary led by Rizeigat Arab Hemedti.

The Juba Peace Agreement facilitated the withdrawal of UNAMID and allowed Sudanese Army and RSF bases to pop up in Geneina. In 2019, the first attack by Janjaweed and the RSF took place against the Masalit in the Krinding camp of Geneina, and killed 72 people, mostly Masalit. [4] [5] Masalit self-defense groups began taking up arms after the attack, and helped defend the town of Misterei from a raid by Janjaweed in July 2020. These self-defense groups expanded into the Krinding IDP camp in Geneina, where attacks by Arabs were repulsed, sparking clashes that left 163 people dead and hundreds injured. [2]

Attacks

The casus belli of the attacks began on April 3, when two Masalit men were shot and killed and two others were injured by Arabs on the road that separates Arab and Masalit neighborhoods. [6] [1] A resident of Geneina who went to the funerals of the men stated that a hooded group of militiamen was watching. The resident stated it was "obvious that they were from the Arab militia. [1] Clashes between Arab militiamen and Masalit self-defense groups began in Krinding later on April 3, and had spread into southern and southwestern El Geneina. [1]

On April 4, Janjaweed backed by the Rapid Support Forces rallied more Arab forces from Zalingei, Saraf Omra, and Chad to Geneina to fight back against the Masalit. [6] The clashes expanded to the Jabal and Jamarik areas of Geneina, which are predominantly populated by Masalits although segregated between Masalits and Arabs by block. [6] [7] Sudanese forces and police did not intervene in the clashes; one survivor of the attacks stated that some elements of the local and federal government were actively attacking the neighborhoods. [1] Mohammed El Doma, the governor of West Darfur, stated that 300 Sudanese Army vehicles were stationed in El Geneina to quell the attacks. [6] During the attacks on April 4, an armed man opened fire on an ambulance carrying staff to El Geneina Teaching Hospital, injuring two doctors. [6] The heaviest fighting on April 4 was in Jabal between the Arab militias and Masalit self-defense groups. [8] These battles were near the Sudanese Army garrison and the headquarters of the Central Reserve Police. [8] Fighting had killed 120 people and hundreds of others injured by April 4.

On April 5, El Doma declared a curfew from 7 a.m. to 6 a.m. [6] The next massive attack by Arab militias and the RSF occurred on April 6 at Abu Zar IDP camp and Al Sadaga IDP camp near Geneina. [9] At Abu Zar, the Janjaweed and RSF shot indiscriminately at the refugees and looted their belongings. The militias also torched the camp, with satellite imagery showing a large portion of the camp burnt out. [8] Environmental sensors confirmed that these raids and burnings continued between April 5 into the morning of April 8. [8]

After five days of clashes, the fighting between Masalit and Arabs died down on April 7, Easter Sunday. [1] That same day, Sudanese government forces began patrolling the streets of El Geneina. [9] The pillaging of Abu Zar did not end until the morning of April 8. [8] [10]

Aftermath

The general coordinator of IDP camps in West Darfur, Ahmed al-Sharif Ahmed, stated that the Sudanese government failed to protect civilians and was part of the problem. [1] Ahmed said, "It is inconceivable that large groups of militias loaded with ammunition from inside and outside the state could spread chaos for three days without the government’s knowledge or ability to resolve the chaos, considering the various security forces, including military intelligence based in the city." [1]

Refugees from the attacks fled into schools, universities, and hospitals after their neighborhoods were looted and burnt out. [11] The World Food Programme launched a campaign to deliver food to the affected areas of El Geneina. [11] At least 117 people were killed in the attacks, and over 283 injured. This number later increased to 144 killed and 233 injured. [1] 84,855 people were internally displaced within El Geneina and West Darfur due to the attacks as well. [12] Human Rights Watch reported that following the April 2021 attacks on El Geneina, openly separatist Masalit propaganda began spreading on social media. Masalit communities in El Geneina continued to militarize, a process spurred after the 2020 Krinding attack and 2020 Misterei massacre when Arab militias attacked. The militarization facilitated the arrival of Khamis Abakar's Sudanese Alliance, a Masalit militia. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Janjaweed are an Arab nomad militia group from the Sahel region that operates in Sudan, particularly in Darfur, and eastern Chad. They have also been speculated to be active in Yemen. According to the United Nations definition, Janjaweed membership consists of Arab nomad tribes from the Sahel, the core of whom are Abbala Arabs, traditionally employed in camel herding, with significant recruitment from the Baggara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masalit people</span> Ethnic group in western Sudan and eastern Chad

The Masalit are an ethnic group inhabiting western Sudan and eastern Chad. They speak the Masalit language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geneina</span> City in West Darfur, Sudan

Geneina is a city in West Darfur, part of the dar Masalit region, in Sudan. It joined British Sudan at the end of 1919 through the Gilani Agreement, signed between the Masalit Sultanate and the United Kingdom, according to which it became a territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War in Darfur</span> Genocidal conflict in Southwestern Sudan

The War in Darfur, also nicknamed the Land Cruiser War, was a major armed conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan that began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rebel groups began fighting against the government of Sudan, which they accused of oppressing Darfur's non-Arab population. The government responded to attacks by carrying out a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Darfur's non-Arabs. This resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands of civilians and the indictment of Sudan's president, Omar al-Bashir, for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sudanese civil war (2023–present)</span> Ongoing civil war in Sudan since 2023

A civil war between two major rival factions of the military government of Sudan, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) under Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces under the Janjaweed leader Hemedti, began during Ramadan on 15 April 2023. Three minor (neutral) factions have participated in the fighting: Darfur Joint Protection Force, SLM (al-Nur) under Abdul Wahid al-Nur, and SPLM-N under Abdelaziz al-Hilu. Fighting has been concentrated around the capital city of Khartoum and the Darfur region. As of 21 January 2024, at least 13,000–15,000 people had been killed and 33,000 others were injured. As of 5 July 2024, over 7.7 million were internally displaced and more than 2.1 million others had fled the country as refugees, and many civilians in Darfur have been reported dead as part of the Masalit Genocide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Geneina</span> Major battles and massacres of the Darfur campaign of the Sudanese civil war

The Geneina massacre, also the Battle of Geneina, was a series of major battles for control of Geneina, the capital of West Darfur in Sudan, between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias against Masalit self-defense militias and the Sudanese Alliance. The battles primarily lasted between April 24 and June 14, 2023, with major attacks and massacres by the RSF and allied militias on Masalit civilians in the city. After the killing of West Darfur governor Khamis Abakar on June 14, thousands of Masalit civilians were slaughtered in the city between June 14 and June 22 by the RSF and allied militias.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darfur campaign</span> Ongoing military offensive in Sudan

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The following is a timeline of the Sudanese civil war (2023–present) in 2023.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khamis Abakar</span> Former Governor of West Darfur killed by the RSF (1964-2023)

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Misterei is a village located south of Geneina, Sudan.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Misterei massacre</span> Mass killing in West Darfur during 2023 Sudan war

Between May 27 and 28, 2023, armed Arab gunmen affiliated with the Rapid Support Forces attacked the West Darfur town of Misterei during the Battle of Geneina, killing 97 Masalit civilians after brief clashes with the Sudanese Alliance and Masalit self-defense groups, and destroying the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War crimes during the Sudanese civil war (2023–present)</span>

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Beginning on April 21, 2022, clashes broke out between Janjaweed and Masalit civilians in the Kreinik refugee camp near El Geneina, West Darfur. These led to massacres over the following days by Janjaweed and the Rapid Support Forces, with hundreds of civilians killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masalit genocide (2023–present)</span> 2023 civilian killings in Sudan

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The following is a timeline of the Sudanese civil war (2023–present) in 2024.

On January 16, 2021, a massacre against Masalit civilians in Krinding IDP camp in Geneina, Sudan by Arab Janjaweed militants killed 163 people, mostly men, and injured 217 others. The massacre was the deadliest attack against Masalit in Geneina since attacks in 2019 against the Krinding camp that killed 72. The attack was also the first event in Krinding where Masalit self-defense groups fought back against Janjaweed.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Network, Ayin (2021-04-21). Not tribal, but criminal: Geneina’s cycles of violence - Ayin network - شبكة عاين . Retrieved 2024-08-22– via 3ayin.com.
  2. 1 2 Tubiana, Jérôme. "'The revolution was hijacked': Inside the conflict in Darfur". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  3. ↑ "Sudan: Horrific attacks on displacement camps show UN peacekeepers still needed in Darfur". Amnesty International. 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
  4. ↑ "West Darfur: Investigation Into Krinding Camp Massacre Is Urgently Needed - Sudan | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 2020-02-03. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
  5. ↑ "West Darfur: Investigation Into Krinding Camp Massacre Is Urgently Needed". International Federation for Human Rights. February 3, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mossaad, Mohamed Ali (April 6, 2021). "Sudanese authorities must urgently investigate violent attacks in Al- Jeneina, West Darfur". African Center for Justice and Peace Studies. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  7. 1 2 Gallopin, Jean-Baptiste (2024-05-09). ""The Massalit Will Not Come Home"". Human Rights Watch.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Violence in West Darfur | Human Rights Watch". 2023-11-26. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  9. 1 2 "Sudan: Conflict – Flash Update #12 West Darfur As of 8 April 2021 | OCHA". www.unocha.org. 2021-04-09. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  10. ↑ "Sudan: Conflict – Flash Update #12 West Darfur As of 8 April 2021 | OCHA". www.unocha.org. 2021-04-09. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  11. 1 2 "Tired of conflict: Displaced people in Darfur yearn for peace — and home | World Food Programme". www.wfp.org. 2021-04-20. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  12. ↑ "UN Sudan West Darfur Peacebuilding Assessment" (PDF). UN in Sudan. June 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
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