KHARTOUM, Nov 12 (KUNA) -- The fall of El-Fasher to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) -- the last stronghold for the Sudanese Army in Darfur -- on October 26, led to an alarming situation with hunger, mass graves, and serious human rights violations occurring, requiring immediate international investigation.
The RSF actions have forced thousands to abandon their homes and seek refuge, while the forces committed multiple crimes.
The RSF admitted to the occurrence of "limited violations" and "promised" to carry out an internal investigation, which lacks independent verification.
The UN Human Rights Council announced that it would hold an urgent meeting on November 14 to discuss the situation in El-Fasher after 50 countries, including the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway, called for the meeting after reports of serious violations.
Informed sources in Geneva told KUNA that no draft resolution has been proposed so far; however, the upcoming days might see the UK submitting one.
In a separate report on November 7, UN experts said that they were appalled by the gross human rights violations and crimes committed in El-Fasher.
The report revealed that civilians were targeted in hospitals and displacement centers, and that the attack on Al-Saudi hospital led to the deaths of 460 patients and civilians.
Meanwhile, the Yale School of Public Health's Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) said in a recent report that satellite evidence revealed mass killings and graves in El-Fasher, with eyewitness testimony also corroborating the findings.
On this issue, Saleh Mahmoud -- head of the lawyers' authority in Darfur -- affirmed that what occurred in El-Fasher amounted to crimes against humanity and genocide.
He revealed that the authority had called on the UN and the international community to take measures to protect civilians and open a humanitarian corridor, but nothing of the sort has occurred, signaling more pain and suffering.
He warned that the conflict might transform into a civil war with tribal tendencies, saying that vengeance must stop and those committing crimes must be held accountable.
Similarly, journalist Amir Babakr said that the RSF's takeover of El-Fasher resulted in serious violations, asserting that such crimes might lead to the exclusion of the RSF from any future political transition efforts.
The RSF's control of El-Fasher expanded the conflict eastward, especially in the North Kordofan State. Some 36,000 civilians have fled towns and villages, according to the International Migration Organization (IOM).
Other than El-Fasher, the cities of Barah and El-Obeid have witnessed military deployment from the army and the RSF, with reports of violations and ethnic cleansing by the RSF on October 25.
El-Obeid city is a strategic area linking Khartoum to Darfur, and with the RSF taking control, military supply routes are now in its hands.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) -- a global initiative for analyzing and classifying food insecurity and malnutrition that includes many UN agencies -- affirmed that hunger has been spreading in El-Fasher due to months of siege with 357,000 people affected in the city and in Kordofan since September. (end) mam.gta