TDecades ago, the world came together to “save Darfur,” using massive mobilizations of collective outrage to force governments and multilateral institutions to act. Rallies, postcard and letter-writing campaigns, moments of silence on university campuses, “World Days for Darfur,” and widespread support from Hollywood celebrities all put Darfur and the infamous “devils on horseback,” the Janjaweed, on the public’s radar.
“It is unfair in many ways, but the fact remains that this genocide will take place on your watch,” George Clooney told the U.N. Security Council in 2006. “How you respond to it will be your legacy.”
The genocide currently taking place not only in Darfur but across Sudan is in many ways even worse than what happened back then.
The fierce war that began 17 months ago between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a rebranding of the Janjaweed, has left 18,800 people dead, according to the UN, but this estimate is a huge underestimate; no one knows the exact death toll.
The catastrophe in Sudan can now only be described in superlatives. It is the world’s largest humanitarian catastrophe, the world’s largest displacement crisis, and the world’s largest hunger crisis. Fighting has displaced more than 10 million people, or 20 percent of the population. More than half the population, some 26 million people, now face crisis-level hunger. “Famine,” a word long avoided by the international community, has now been declared in North Darfur. A dire report released in May by the Clingendael Institute warned that up to 2.5 million people could die of hunger by September this year.
Twenty years ago, the SAF and RSF led a genocidal campaign against ethnic Africans inhabiting Darfur soil. Today, both sides fight each other while perpetuating serious human rights violations. The RSF, in particular, has revived its genocidal campaign against the same ethnic groups and expanded it to other parts of the country. The RSF, along with its allied Arab militias, are accused of crimes against humanity and deliberate attacks against civilians that amount to war crimes. The International Criminal Court has opened a new investigation into alleged serious crimes committed by both the SAF and RSF forces in Darfur.
El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, is currently under siege and under siege by the RSF. It is the last populated area in Darfur state that has not fallen into their hands. “Risk factors and indicators of genocide and related crimes are undoubtedly present in El Fasher, and the risk is growing,” said Alice Wairimu Nderitu, UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide.
Sudan’s war against civilians has had devastating consequences for women and girls from the beginning. As I told the UN Security Council on August 7, conflict-related sexual violence is widespread and systematic throughout the country. It is clear that the RSF and SAF are subjecting women and girls between the ages of 9 and 60 to sexual violence, which is a war crime, and neither side has taken effective measures to prevent rape and attacks on health workers by their forces or to investigate such crimes. The deliberate use of conflict-related sexual violence, primarily by the RSF, is aimed at terrorizing the population into submission.
The time for the international community to act is now. We need to renew the call to action that shook the world 20 years ago.
Much of the international community’s diplomatic efforts have been focused on securing an elusive ceasefire, including recent efforts to secure US-brokered talks between the SAF and RSF. Neither the SAF nor the RSF have shown any signs of being serious about a ceasefire. Both sides see significant military gains to be made with external assistance, particularly the RSF, which has controlled large parts of the country, with heavy support from the UAE. More energy should be focused on protection efforts, focusing on vulnerable people. The need of the hour is to prevent carnage and save lives, and three steps are crucial:
First, the world needs to unite in its calls for the establishment of a civil protection force, especially in Darfur. Civil society and human rights groups are calling for the African Union and the United Nations to work together to establish a force that, according to Human Rights Watch, can “protect civilians, monitor violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, including the obstruction of humanitarian assistance, and facilitate the safe return of displaced persons.” Such a mission could especially help women and girls, and could also include mobile police forces that are concentrated in areas where people are most at risk.
Second, the international community must demand that foreign powers stop supplying weapons to Sudan’s warring parties. The UN Panel of Experts report corroborates media reports that the UAE is sending weapons and supplies to the RSF (allegations the UAE denies). A July report by Amnesty International found that Sudan imports large amounts of arms and ammunition from China, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, Yemen and the UAE. These weapons also flow into Darfur, where aid is blocked despite a 2004 UN Security Council arms embargo. This decades-old effort should be expanded to cover the whole of Sudan.
Third, we need a unified and coordinated peace process that includes all stakeholders, with women’s full, equal and meaningful participation. Sudan’s war has been beset by various peace processes over the past 16 months, but the situation continues to deteriorate. Putting women at the heart of peace negotiations can help chart a new course that prioritizes civilian rather than military interests.
Unfortunately, nothing of this nature will happen until the world starts paying more attention to the plight of Sudan. More prominent figures should follow the example of American rapper Macklemore, who announced that he would refuse to perform in Dubai due to the UAE’s role in the “ongoing genocide and humanitarian crisis” in Sudan. The world must not look away and allow Africa’s third largest country to collapse while so many other crises simmer. We must “save Darfur” and save Sudan before it’s too late.
