Sudanese Village Devastated as RSF Attack Leaves 124 Dead
Abdullahi Jimoh
Life is slowly resuming amidst the ruins of central Sirba, a town 23 km north of El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, Sudan.
In 2023, Sirba experienced significant destruction and was nearly destroyed or burned to the ground multiple times, impacting over 144,000 people in Sirba locality. According to Human Right's Watch, satellite data showed massive fire destruction in the town of Sirba in late July 2023. Tens of thousands fled for their lives, either to nearby towns or other localities, or over the border to Chad. Reports say violence in Sirba targeted the ethnic African communities, particularly the Eringa tribe. Today, in the relative calm that ensued once one warring party, the RSF, gained control of West Darfur - thousands came to shelter in Sirba's ruins. These people have no homes to return to as their villages were also destroyed and looted. Some have been pushed back from the refugee camps in Chad, located in remote areas of the Sahel desert, where the humanitarian response was so meager that basic needs for water, food, hygiene and medicines were not met. According to local authorities in Sirba, an estimated 6000 people returned to Sirba city in the first three weeks of February. Humanitarian needs are exceedingly pressing, as all public services except for the market have collapsed, the infrastructure destroyed in the war. The mobile clinic provided by PUI is the only health service in Sirba locality.
February 18, 2024. Diana Zeyneb Alhindawi for The Washington Post
In Sudan’s central Gezira state, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) reportedly killed at least 124 civilians during an attack on the village of Alseriha on Saturday, according to the Sudan Doctors Network.
The non-governmental organisation stated that a massacre was carried out by the RSF in Alseriha, with the attack lasting for hours and leading to dozens of injuries and the displacement of hundreds. The network condemned the RSF’s “irrational escalation against civilians who have chosen to stay despite a year of tragic humanitarian conditions.”
The RSF has not yet issued a statement regarding the attack. However, tensions have been escalating in Gezira state as conflict continues between the RSF and Sudan’s army.
On Friday, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reported the displacement of 853 households from Tamboul city and nearby villages due to rising clashes. This unrest comes days after Abu Aqla Muhammad Ahmed Kikil, the RSF commander in Gezira, defected to the Sudanese army, bringing his forces with him to fight alongside the military.
Since the conflict began in April 2023, more than 20,000 people have died, and over 10 million have been displaced, according to the United Nations. The international community has intensified calls for peace, warning that the ongoing violence could lead to widespread famine as food shortages worsen in 13 of Sudan’s 18 states.
