The conflict in Darfur has left more than 300,000 dead and nearly 3 million displaced in nearly two decades. The fall of the military-Islamic regime in power in Sudan in 2019 brought hope among the local population, but it was short-lived.
Former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir armed and supported Arab militias known as Janjaweed to quell rebel groups in Darfur. Conclusion: They committed a veritable ethnic cleansing.
On April 24, a thousand militants massacred nearly 200 people in the small town of Kreinig. In the middle of Ramadan, the town in West Darfur was attacked by people on motorcycles, pick-ups and horses or camels.
>> Read: At least 160 people have been killed in violence in Sudan’s Darfur region
“People were sitting here in the mosque. They came at 6:30 a.m. for morning prayers,” said Muezzin Mohamed Ahmed on the RTS program Tout un monde. “Suddenly the soldiers landed, they opened fire everywhere, they came from all directions, they killed five people for no reason.
“We were hiding under the corpses”
The attackers then attacked the police station, where police officers were burnt alive, and then hospitals and schools where many women took shelter with their children.
“We were hiding in this classroom. They shot through the window and my sister was shot in the back and she died instantly,” one of them testified. “We were hiding under the corpses from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm,” continues Salwa Hassan. “My sister left behind three children (…) What are we going to do with these orphans? We leave it to God. They killed them all”. Terrified, she could not see the faces of the shooters.
Formally recognized Arab fighters
Others, on the other hand, saw death in the face. The hospital electrician was categorical: these Janjawid fighters, mainly from an Arab tribe known as the Raisikat, were supported by paramilitary units under the orders of General Tagalo, Hemeti, number 2 of the Sudanese junta.
“The attack was coordinated between the Janjaweed and the Rapid Support Forces, who wore their uniforms. They had heavy weapons, machine guns and snipers, and they came with hundreds of 4x4s with DShKs. [mitrailleuse lourde soviétique anti-aérienne, ndlr] and the armed lyre [lance-roquettes russe]”, Juma Zakaria narrates. “Without any doubt, these were vehicles of the Rapid Support Forces, an attack by official forces.
“We are in front of the mass grave of the Grenik martyrs, 205 people are buried here,” continues chemistry professor Hatim Ali Othman in front of the branch-covered mounds on the edge of the village. “They were killed for their land,” he explains. “We are disposing of their plots and moving them by force so that the settlers can get their hands on this region. May our God welcome and sanctify them”.
Annihilation desired by the authorities?
According to several witnesses, Sudanese military aircraft were patrolling the skies the day before and on the day of the attack. The village was then surrounded to the north, south and west by camps of militants from across the region.
Could the authorities have been unaware that a massacre was about to take place? “They were well aware that Krinik would be attacked”, assures Hatim Ali Othman. “Contrary to saying, this is not a tribal problem until the official forces are involved. Rapid support forces are responsible for the killings of civilians, these events are planned to destroy us. This is not new, we, we. We have been living this since 2003.
In the village of Salami, a few kilometers from Greenick, there is none. As far as the eye can see, we see houses burning and destroyed. Out of 700 families who lived there, only 30 families were left in ashes.
“No one has left the city,” said Salim Abdallah, glancing at the horizon with an apprehensive look. “If we move from a distance of 200 meters, we can be shot,” the breeder continues. “The day before yesterday, cattle were stolen here. Three days ago, people went foraging and were threatened. Militants are still there and we are surrounded.”
>> Interview with geopolitical scientist Frédéric Enzel Doud en Monde:
Race against the clock to avoid starvation
It is the beginning of autumn and the farmers must sow their fields, but the conditions are not met. “All the citizens are wondering who will guarantee the security of the sowing season,” worries Omda Mohamed Adam, a traditional leader of Salami. “If people don’t start sowing in the next two weeks, it will be too late. And in four or five months there will be a famine, people will starve.”
According to the UN, a third of Sudan is already food insecure. The crisis has worsened with the war in Ukraine, and Sudan imports nearly 90% of its wheat from the Black Sea. Hunger primarily affects people vulnerable to conflict. In just one year, nearly 500,000 people have been forced to leave their lands in Darfur.
Eliot Pratchett/Oyang
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