2023-06-14 22:02:05
From Darfur (archive – France Press)
The Sudanese army announced, at dawn on Thursday, that the Rapid Support Forces had kidnapped and killed the governor of West Darfur, Khamis Abdullah Abkar, and then killed him, considering that his liquidation was a “brutal act that added to its record of crimes.”
The Sudanese army commander, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, condemned “the treacherous attack by the Rapid Support Forces, in which they targeted the governor of West Darfur, Khamis Abdullah Abkar, and killed him in the city of El Geneina.”
“It has nothing to do with the conflict.”
He said in a statement that the Rapid Support Forces target civilian facilities in the city of El Geneina, stressing that “the governor of West Darfur has nothing to do with the course of the conflict between us and the Rapid Support Forces.”
We can neither confirm nor deny.
On the other hand, the rapid support advisor told Al-Arabiya that he might not confirm or deny the news of the killing of the governor of West Darfur, adding, “We are in a state of war and there is no safe place in West Darfur.”
At the same time, Hassan Ibrahim Fadl, deputy media secretary in the Sudanese Justice and Equality Movement, said, “Armed militias killed the governor of West Darfur.”
“In a dangerous development… armed militias stormed the residence of the governor of West Darfur, General Khamis Abkar, kidnapped him and took him to an unknown destination, then video clips appeared showing his assassination with unparalleled brutality and barbarity,” Fadl added in a statement on Facebook.
international concern
Yesterday, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, expressed his concern regarding the situation in the Darfur region in western Sudan, and the violence that is taking on an “increasing ethnic dimension.”
While the Sudan Doctors Syndicate warned of the tragic situation in the region, to which the spark of bloody conflict spread two months ago.
It is noteworthy that since the start of the conflict between the two military forces in mid-April, fears have escalated of the situation in Darfur escalating, especially since the region has witnessed intermittent tribal clashes over the past years.
Painful memories
The vast region of Darfur, which is inhabited by several Arab and African tribes, and is famous for agriculture, and its area is approximately equal to France, is full of painful memories of the devastating civil war that lasted for years, leaving thousands of dead, as well as major massacres between the tribes, two decades ago.
The conflict broke out in 2003 when a group of rebels stood up to the government forces backed by the Janjaweed militia, which were famous at the time for riding horses, and the violence killed regarding 300,000 people and displaced millions. Despite the many peace agreements, tension has continued since that time, like embers under the ashes, waiting for a spark to awaken it.
fueling violence
Violence has escalated intermittently over the past two years before it calmed down, only to flare up once more following the conflict that erupted between the army and the Rapid Support Forces a few weeks ago.
This infighting, which erupted between the two sides in mid-April, fueled fears that this region would slip once more into civil and tribal war.
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