Two decades ago, extreme violence in Darfur, Sudan killed over 300,000 civilians. Today, violent conflict once again plagues the people of Sudan. Since war broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023, more than 12 million people have fled their homes, and over 150,000 civilians have been killed.
For over 500 days, the RSF besieged the city of El Fasher in northern Darfur and used food as a weapon of war – creating catastrophic levels of hunger among the civilian population. In late October, the RSF seized control of El Fasher. As they have entered the city, there are credible reports of widespread violence against civilians, including summary executions, attacks on civilian escape routes, house-to-house raids, and sexual violence. Satellite imagery analysis done by the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab identified the blood stained earth visible from space.
The Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act (P.L 115-441), signed into law by President Trump in 2019, codified the prevention of mass atrocities as a national interest. In January, the U.S. Department of State determined that RSF and allied militias were committing genocide in Sudan. Despite this, there has been little action or leadership by the United States to stop this violence.
You can help support peace by raising awareness of this conflict in your local newspaper and inviting others to urge our elected leaders to speak out.