April 28, 2023

The American Mideast Coalition for Democracy is issuing an urgent call for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan to end the bloodshed in Khartoum and stop the ethnic cleansing taking place once again in Darfur.

The people of Sudan have lost trust in the military junta which took power in October 2021. The two junta leaders General al-Burhan, commander of the Sudan Armed Forces, and Rapid Support Force/Janjaweed commander General Mohamed Hamdan Dagolo, “Hemeti,” promised to cede power to civilian authority, but then fell to fighting among themselves, plunging the country into another bloody civil conflict.

The ongoing conflict is leaving the most marginalized communities including the African ethnic tribes in Darfur, the Blue Nile region, Beja (Red Sea Province) and the Nuba mountains defenseless against extremist forces taking advantage of the war to commit ethnic cleansing and to plunder.

AMCD has learned from the West Darfur Governor’s office of General Khamis that jihadists are flowing into West Darfur through Chad to join the Janjaweed under General Dagolo. These are the same forces who carried out the horrific mass killing in Darfur in the early 2000s.

They are now surrounding the West Darfurian capital of Geneina as civilians flee for their lives or huddle in mosques for protection. Documents and videos show that the Janjaweed/RSF have penetrated the city and started looting, and civilians are leaving in an exodus.

Sources also tell AMCD that South Sudan has intercepted a jihadist force from the Central African Republic attempting to move north to invade southern Darfur.

“Genocide is happening once again in Western Darfur State,” said Sudanese AMCD representative, council member and President of the Sudan American Committee Daowd Salih. “The Janjaweed murdered at least sixty-five people yesterday and the killing continues. They are targeting one ethnic group – the black Darfurians. The El Genina market has been completely looted and the people are already running short of supplies. We are urgently seeking help from the World Community. There is no time to lose.”

Dr Walid Phares, terrorism expert and senior advisor to AMCD said: “While in the rest of Sudan the two competing armies are vying over control of the country the events in Darfur are of another more dangerous nature. The so-called Janjaweed militias, who were accused by the UN as perpetrators of the Darfur Genocide have launched several attacks on East Darfur under the wings of the RSF, pushed the regular troops away, and have entered the city of Geneina. Reportedly the attackers are targeting the city’s population, particularly the African tribes of the Masalit who were targeted during the 2000’s genocide. Such a deterioration has the potential of triggering mass exodus and crumbling stability across the borders with Chad and the Central African Republic, which could open the path for other militias, groups and mercenaries to enter the fray. The US, France and the international community must assist under previous UN resolutions in the protection of civilian population, mostly via air zones that need to be established over Darfur.”

With this latest descent into violence, the resource-rich country is once again being torn apart by the ambitions of political factions, terror organizations and foreign interests. The US helped to broker a 72-hour ceasefire to help civilians escape to safer areas and the World Health Organization issued a bio-hazard warning after a lab containing deadly viruses became engulfed in the fighting in Khartoum.

The American Mideast Coalition for Democracy is issuing an urgent call for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan in order to move toward UN supervised interim elections and eventual transition to civilian government. Furthermore, AMCD calls on the US administration, the EU, France, and the Arab League to set up a coalition to enforce a safe zone in the Port Sudan region and an air safe zone in West Darfur.