November 12, Gezira — Over 1230 citizens were killed in eastern and northern regions of Gezira state by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the last three weeks, the Gezira Conference, a civilian organization, said on Monday.
The RSF launched attacks on villages in eastern, northern, and western Gezira after Abu Aqla Keikil, the RSF commander in Gezira state, switched allegiance to the Sudanese army on October 20.
“Those who did not die by bullets died under siege, poisoning and epidemics,” the Gezira Conference said in a statement. They also claimed that the RSF forcibly displayed the residents of over 400 villages in eastern Gezira.
On Monday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that the RSF has killed, injured, raped and unlawfully detained scores of civilians during attacks across Gezira in “heinous crimes.”
“This recent massive uptick in the Rapid Support Forces’ heinous attacks against civilians should end any lingering hopes that these crimes will stop without a strong global response,” said Mohamed Osman, Sudan researcher at Human Rights Watch, in the statement.
HRW called on the United Kingdom to use its November United Nations Security Council presidency to push for UN action to deploy a mission to protect civilians in Sudan. The council will be discussing how to better protect civilians in Sudan following an October report by the UN secretary-general.
HRW said that RSF fighters have subjected women and girls to sexual violence during their attacks in Gezira. As of November 4, the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa, a regional women’s rights group, had documented 25 cases of rape and gang rape by the RSF, including 10 girls among the victims.
“The United Kingdom, as penholder on Sudan, needs to step up at this moment of crisis and ensure that the calls of those desperately in need of protection in Sudan are not ignored,” Osman said.