The United States is deeply troubled by reports of an imminent large-scale attack by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on El Fasher, North Darfur, that would subject civilians, including hundreds of thousands of displaced persons – many of whom only recently fled to El Fasher from other areas – to extreme danger. Credible reports indicate that both the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have failed to take necessary measures to prevent civilian casualties in residential neighborhoods of El Fasher.
The United States calls on the warring parties to immediately cease further attacks in and around El Fasher to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law concerning civilians as reaffirmed in the May 11 Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan. We echo Governor Nimr Abdulrahman’s appeal to the warring parties to allow civilians to safely move to more secure areas.
Increased fighting in El Fasher follows recent RSF offensives in Nyala, Zalengei, and elsewhere in Darfur. We condemn reported abuses by the RSF and allied forces in connection with their assault on Nyala, including civilian deaths, arbitrary arrests, detention of medical personnel, and looting of health facilities. We call on the SAF and RSF to utilize the recently resumed Jeddah talks to facilitate unhindered humanitarian access and agree on ceasefires and other confidence building measures. There is no acceptable military resolution to this conflict – the focus must be on protecting civilians, providing humanitarian assistance, and negotiating an end to the conflict.