Masalit genocide

In December 2020, Sudan started to deploy troops to South Darfur "in large numbers", following recent tribal violence between the Masalit and Fula. == Massacres ==

Following the Battle of Geneina in 2023, more than a thousand bodies were left in mass graves in the town of El Geneina. In January 2024, it was revealed that a report to the UN Security Council estimated that 10,000–15,000 people were killed in El Geneina. According to accounts by survivors, massacres were coordinated, specifically targeting Masalit and other dark-skinned inhabitants of Darfur, as opposed to the Sudanese Arab population. The Rapid Support Forces denied involvement, characterizing the situation as a tribal conflict, while Arab tribal leaders denied being involved in ethnic cleansing and held the Masalit responsible for starting the conflict. Geneina massacre Misterei massacre Ardamata massacre == Reactions ==

Khamis Abakar, then governor of West Darfur, denounced the killings as "genocide". He was soon after executed by RSF militants for his statements on 14 June 2023. As of August 2023, there is an increasing amount of proof suggesting that the RSF is initiating a systematic purge based on ethnicity in Darfur. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has issued a warning about the potential escalation into a full-scale genocide. On 10 November 2023, Filippo Grandi, the U.N. High Commissioner, drew parallels between the ongoing violence and the genocide in Darfur recognised by the U.S., where it is estimated that 300,000 people lost their lives from 2003 to 2005. He cautioned that a "similar dynamic might be unfolding." In October, Genocide Watch issued an alert concerning the situation in Sudan, explicitly characterizing the massacres performed by the Rapid Support Forces against the Masalit people as genocide. This characterization was also shared by US academic Eric Reeves, specialized in Sudan's human rights record, and The Economist. The UK government, witnesses and other observers described the violence in the region as tantamount to ethnic cleansing or even genocide, with non-Arab groups such as the Masalit being the primary victims. Mujeebelrahman Yagoub, Assistant Commissioner for Refugees in West Darfur called the violence worse than the War in Darfur in 2003 and the Rwandan genocide in 1994. The US government also condemned the atrocities, which Secretary of State Antony Blinken described as genocide, and imposed sanctions against RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo for his alleged role in the campaign. Human Rights Watch said in May 2024 that targeting Masalit people with the objective of forcing them to leave the region constitutes ethnic cleansing. The context of the killings raised the "possibility that the RSF and their allies have the intent to destroy in whole or in part the Massalit in at least West Darfur, which would indicate that genocide has been and/or is being committed there". In 2026, a United Nations fact-finding mission to Sudan found that the RSF's campaign of violence against non-Arab minorities, including the Masalit and others, "presents indications pointing to genocide". International Court of Justice On March 6, 2025, the Sudanese government filed a case against the United Arab Emirates at the International Court of Justice accusing the United Arab Emirates of violating the Genocide Convention and being complicit in genocide and other crimes committed by the RSF on the Masalit. Sudan accused the UAE of enabling the RSF's attacks on Masalit communities by providing them with political, military and financial support, and asked the court to halt the UAE's supply of arms to the militia. The UAE denied the accusations. In an official statement, the UAE described the case as "a cynical publicity stunt". == See also ==