January 2021 Krinding attack

Last updated
January 2021 Krinding massacre
Part of Ethnic conflict in West Darfur
Location Krinding IDP camp, El Geneina, West Darfur, Sudan
DateJanuary 16–17, 2021
TargetMasalit civilians and self-defense groups
Deaths163
Injured300+
Perpetrator Janjaweed, Rapid Support Forces, and Mahameed Arab civilians
MotiveReprisal for the killing of an Arab man

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. [1] [2] The attack was also the first event in Krinding where Masalit self-defense groups fought back against Janjaweed. [3]

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. [1] 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. [2] [4]

Attack

According to the Darfur Bar Association, the attacks were instigated by the stabbing of a member of an Arab man named Abusim Hammad near Krinding on January 15. [1] The perpetrator was quickly arrested, and the governor of West Darfur instated a curfew. [1] The curfew allowed the Sudanese government to use lethal force to protect people and property, and the Sudanese army (SAF) also dispatched more forces to El Geneina. [1]

A resident of Krinding told Amnesty International that he was beat by several armed men, some wearing uniforms of the RSF, Chadian Army, and civilian clothing, and they arrived in Krinding on camels, horses, motorcycles, and RSF trucks on the morning of January 16. [1] [5] Another resident stated that they were surprised by the entrance of the Janjaweed into the camps, and that they had burnt the market and set fire to homes as civilians fled. The attackers also shot at the fleeing civilians. [1] Satellite imagery showed much of Krinding in flames. [1] The United Nations stated that Masalit men had taken up arms to defend Krinding, and that many of the attackers were Mahameed Arabs. [6]

The next day, the Sudanese interim government held a National Security Committee meeting and dispatched more troops to Geneina to quell the violence. [6] Sudanese state television said that a third of the Krinding camp was burnt to ashes. [5] The Minister of Cabinet Affairs visited El Geneina on January 18 alongside the attorney general and other members of the cabinet. [6] On January 19, the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the violence. [6] In a statement that same day, RSF commander Hemedti stated the events were caused by "instigators" on social media of trying to spread chaos. [6]

Aftermath

Most of the victims killed in the Krinding massacre were ethnic Masalit men, along with three women and twelve children. [1] 163 people were killed in total, over 300 were injured, and nearly 149,000 more were displaced from the area due to the massacre. [7] [1] [6] Another 8,981 people lost their belongings or livestock in the attacks. [7] Of the displaced people, 84,000 were displaced within El Geneina, and 64,000 were displaced elsewhere in Sudan. 3,500 others were displaced to Chad. [6] Many of the displaced people were from Krinding 1 and 2 camps, which suffered the brunt of the massacre, and the Sultan House area of Geneina. [8]

Following the attacks, Arabs held a sit-in to block the roads leading into and out of El Geneina to demand the removal of IDP camps and more humanitarian assistance in the area. [6] The protests were relieved on February 7. [6] While the vast majority of the violence occurred on January 16 and into January 17, Arab and Masalit groups signed a peace deal on February 13. [8]

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">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">Hemedti</span> Sudanese military officer, former warlord and Janjaweed mercenary

Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, generally referred to mononymously as Hemedti, Hemetti, Hemeti, or Hemitte, is a Janjaweed leader from the Rizeigat tribe in Darfur, who was the Deputy head of the Transitional Military Council (TMC) following the 2019 Sudanese coup d'état. Since 2013, Hemetti has commanded the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). He was considered by The Economist to be the most powerful person in Sudan as of early July 2019.

<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 (RSF) and its allies 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 8 September 2024, at least 20,000 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 massacres.

<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

The Darfur campaign or Darfur offensive is a theatre of operation in the war in Sudan that affects five states in Darfur: South Darfur, East Darfur, North Darfur, Central Darfur and West Darfur. The offensive mainly started on 15 April 2023 in West Darfur where the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) forces captured Geneina, the conflict came after several days of high tensions between the forces and the government.

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of El Fasher</span> 2024 military engagement during the third Sudanese civil war

The siege of El Fasher is an ongoing battle for control of the town of El Fasher in North Darfur during the Sudan conflict. The first battle for the city took place between 15 and 20 April 2023, and resulted in a ceasefire that held until 12 May. Clashes broke out again between 12 and 29 May, and ended with a more stable ceasefire that lasted until August. By September, the city had become a haven for refugees across the region, without enough food and water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treaty of Jeddah (2023)</span> 2023 two-week long treaty for peace in Sudan

The Treaty of Jeddah or Jeddah Declaration is an international agreement that was made to make peace in Sudan. The Treaty of Jeddah, which was signed by the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan and representatives of both warring sides on 20 May 2023, entered into force 48 hours later on 22 May 2023. The agreement was intended to facilitate a week-long ceasefire and the distribution of humanitarian aid within the country. The agreement expired suddenly after a surge of clashes on 23 May 2023, a day after the agreement came into effect. With the actual date of expiry being 27 May 2023, the nations agreed on an extension for five days but was shortened due to the agreement's ineffectiveness.

The Battle of Kutum was a conflict during the War in Sudan which occurred in and around the town of Kutum in North Darfur. The Rapid Support Forces quickly overran the city, and carried out massacres in the city and the neighboring Kassab IDP camp. The group then attacked neighboring villages in early June.

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

Khamis Abdullah Abakar also known as Abdallah Abakar was a Sudanese politician, activist and former army commander who served as the Governor of West Darfur from 2021 until his assassination.

Kreinik, or AlKuraynik or Kereneik, is a town in West Darfur, Sudan, located 50 miles (80 km) east of Geneina.

<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>

The civil war in Sudan, which started on 15 April 2023, has seen widespread war crimes committed by both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with the RSF being singled out by the Human Rights Watch, and the United Kingdom and United States governments for committing ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.

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 massacres (2023–present)</span> 2023 civilian killings in Sudan

The Masalit massacres are an ongoing series of massacres of the Masalit ethnic group in Sudan perpetrated by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of Sudan and its allies. The massacres began in 2023 during the Sudanese civil war when the RSF began committing organized mass killings of Masalit civilians in West Dafur.

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wad An Nora massacre</span> 2024 massacre of villagers by the Rapid Support Forces

The Wad Al-Noora massacre started at around 05:00 (GMT+2) on 5 June 2024, when the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacked the village of Wad Al-Noora in Al-Jazira state twice, killing at least 100 civilians. The massacre followed after the RSF sieged and opened fire on the village.

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. The clashes were the second major conflict in Krinding in 2021, with ethnic clashes occurring in January as well that killed 163 people.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Sudan: Horrific attacks on displacement camps show UN peacekeepers still needed in Darfur". Amnesty International. 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
  2. 1 2 "West Darfur: Investigation Into Krinding Camp Massacre Is Urgently Needed - Sudan | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 2020-02-03. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
  3. ↑ Tubiana, Jérôme. "'The revolution was hijacked': Inside the conflict in Darfur". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  4. ↑ "West Darfur: Investigation Into Krinding Camp Massacre Is Urgently Needed". International Federation for Human Rights. February 3, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  5. 1 2 "Environment, Conflict and Peacebuilding: Addressing the Root Causes of Conflict in Darfur". ACCORD. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Situation in the Sudan and the activities of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in the Sudan" (PDF). United Nations Secretary General. March 1, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  7. 1 2 "Emergency Event Tracking Report Ag Geneina, West Darfur 004 (2021) | Displacement Tracking Matrix". dtm.iom.int. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
  8. 1 2 "Sudan West Darfur Protection Analysis Update" (PDF). Global Protection Cluster. May 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
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