Misterei massacre

Last updated
Misterei massacre
Part of War in Sudan (2023) and the Battle of Geneina
West Darfur in Sudan.svg
West Darfur highlighted in Sudan
Location Misterei, West Darfur, Sudan
Coordinates 13°7′29.55″N22°9′42.56″E / 13.1248750°N 22.1618222°E / 13.1248750; 22.1618222
DateMay 27-28, 2023
Target Masalit civilians [1]
Deaths97 killed
Injured160 injured
Assailant Janjaweed and Emblem of the Rapid Support Forces.png Rapid Support Forces
No. of participants
~300

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.

Contents

Prelude

Throughout the war in Darfur, the town of Misterei has been a hub of violence between Arab tribes affiliated with the Janjaweed and Rapid Support Forces against non-Arab tribes, predominantly the Masalit, who live in Misterei. [2] As a result of low protection by the Sudanese Army and UNAMID following the Juba Peace Agreement in 2020, Masalit self-defense groups formed in Misterei. [3] The town was the site of a massacre by the RSF in 2020, which killed 42 Masalit and 18 attackers. [2] After the massacre, Misterei banned Arabs from the town. [4]

In March 2023, the Sudanese Armed Forces moved their base from Misterei to Geneina, the capital of West Darfur. [4] When the Battle of Geneina intensified in May 2023, RSF militants began attacking Masalit civilians en masse in the town, with over a thousand people killed, many of whom were Masalit. [5] As a result, the only force defending the town was the Sudanese Alliance led by West Darfur governor Khamis Abakar. [4] On May 26, Masalit self-defense groups in the mountains of Misterei, who were defending against RSF attacks, clashed with Arab fighters on Dorondi mountain. A second self-defense group moved to Shorrong mountain nearby to add further protection. [3]

On May 27, a battle broke out in Jabal Derindi, three kilometers away from Misterei, between Sudanese Forces and the RSF. Seventeen SAF soldiers were killed, and ten were injured. [4]

Massacre

Prior to the Misterei attack, a group of 300 RSF fighters and allied tribes surrounded the town on the night of May 27, with the exceptions of the south and west, where the fighters entered the town. [6] The fighters came from the Awlad Rashid, Misseriya, and Awlad Janoob tribes, led by Mohamed Zain Taj Eldien and Hamid Yousef Mustafa. [4] Some of the assailants came from the Mima and Bargo ethnic groups. [4] The attackers arrived in twelve Land Cruisers, eight of which were RSF-owned, four of which were private. [4] Other fighters rode on around 150 horses and 140 motorcycles. Around 90 Sudanese Alliance militants, a signatory of the Juba Agreement, intervened in the town, led by Cpt. Elteybe Abdulla Ahmed. [4] Residents were fearful following the surrounding of the town, but there was "no way out". [6]

The first clashes began at Shorrong mountain right after sunrise, when Janjaweed launched an offensive from the west. Later offensives came from the north and south. [3] The Janjaweed came in waves, according to a veteran of the attacks, and many of the self-defense groups were spread out across and around the town in groups of 7 to 15. [3] The Masalit self-defense groups quickly fell to the Janjaweed. [3] Battles between the Sudanese Alliance and the Janjaweed lasted for three and a half hours, during which civilians stated the Arab fighters went house to house, killing darker-skinned Masalit and shouting "Kill the slave, kill the slave!" [4] [3]

Wounded civilians were brought to the Atik mosque, although Janjaweed stormed the place and shot at the wounded and those attending to them. [6] [3] After killing several people, Arab fighters cheered "We killed the zorga! (a slur for black people)." [3] The Janjaweed also looted houses, farms, and shops, before burning down many neighborhoods. [3] The Misterei market was completely looted and torched. [4] Satellite imagery taken on June 3 showed the entire town burnt down. [3]

Aftermath

Later in the day on May 29, remaining residents buried the bodies of slain civilians in Misterei. [4] Around 80 bodies were buried in a mass grave, located by the Misterei hospital in the southeastern part of the town. [3] [4] The injured were taken to Adré or Abashi for treatment. [4] The first mass grave contained fifty-nine bodies, mostly of men, and was done quickly due to fear of further Janjaweed attacks. [3] In the following days, more bodies were buried, bringing the toll to 97 killed. [3] 160 people were injured as well. [4]

Nine hundred families that same day fled for Chad. [4] Of the original population of 26,000, 17,000 had fled to the Chadian town of Gongour. [3]

The RSF dismissed claims that they were involved in the massacre, referring to it as "a tribal conflict." [6]

Further reading

Related Research Articles

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">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.

The following lists events during 2023 in the Republic of the Sudan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War in Sudan (2023–present)</span> Ongoing military conflict in Sudan

A civil war between two 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) under Hemedti, began during Ramadan on 15 April 2023. 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 21 March, over 6.5 million were internally displaced and more than two million others had fled the country as refugees, and many civilians in Darfur have been reported dead as part of the 2023 Masalit massacres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Geneina</span> Battle of the Darfur campaign of the 2023 Sudan conflict

The Battle of Geneina, also known as the Geneina massacre, was a battle for control of Geneina, the capital of West Darfur in Sudan, between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). By 25 April 2023, fighting intensified and devolved along tribal lines, with Masalit and non-Arab peoples supporting the SAF and the aligned Joint Darfur Force—consisting of former rebel groups including the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and the Justice and Equality Movement—against the RSF and allied Arab 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 2023 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 War in Sudan (2023-present).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of El Fasher</span> Battle during the 2023 Sudan conflict

The Battle of El Fasher is an ongoing battle for control of the town of El Fasher in North Darfur during the 2023 Sudan conflict. The first battle for the city took place between April 15 and April 20, and resulted in a ceasefire that held until May 12. Clashes broke out again between May 12 and 29, and ended with a more stable ceasefire that lasted until August. By September, the city had become a haven for refugees across the region, and was also suffering from food and water shortages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of El Obeid</span> Siege in the 2023 Sudan conflict

The siege of El Obeid was a siege in El-Obeid, North Kordofan, Sudan, during the 2023 Sudan conflict. The battle began on April 15, and saw the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) capture the El Obeid airport from the Sudanese Army contingent in the city. Throughout April and May, the Sudanese Army repelled several RSF assaults on the city, although by May 30, the RSF fully surrounded the city and laid siege to it.

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

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 to 2023.

Misterei is a village located south of Geneina, Sudan.

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

Sirba is a town in West Darfur, Sudan. It lies approximately 23 kilometres (14 mi) north of El Geneina, which is the capital of West Darfur. The town has been subjected to attacks and violence by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied gunmen during the ongoing conflict in the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War crimes during the War in Sudan (2023–present)</span> Violations of the laws of war during the War in Sudan (2023–present)

The war in Sudan, which started on 15 April 2023, has seen a widespread of 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 crimes against humanity. The conflict was marked by heavy indiscriminate shelling, gunfire, and airstrikes on markets and populated residential neighbourhoods, causing a high number of fatalities. Hospitals were targeted during aerial bombings and artillery fire, and medical supplies were looted. These attacks severely impacted Sudan’s healthcare system, disrupting medical services and leaving the majority of the hospitals in conflict-affected states out of service. The UN declared Sudan the most dangerous country for humanitarian workers after South Sudan.

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">Ardamata</span> Neighborhood in Geneina, West Darfur, Sudan

Ardamata is a neighborhood located in the northeastern part of Geneina, Sudan. The neighborhood is near the Sudanese Armed Forces's 15th Infantry Division camp.

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

In 2023, multiple massacres have been perpetrated by the RSF in many towns in Darfur during the Sudan war. Such massacres include the Ardamata massacre, Misterei massacre and the Geneina massacre, all of which targeted Masalit civilians. These massacres were described by The Economist, Genocide Watch, US academic Eric Reeves, and Khamis Abakar, as a "genocide".

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.