Sennar, April 5(Darfur 24)
On Saturday, the African-European Organization for Humanitarian Action and Development( OAAHD) accused the army and affiliated armed groups of committing a horrific massacre in a village in Sennar State as part of a systematic approach to ethnic cleansing.
In a statement, the organization condemned what it called “the heinous massacre committed on Friday, April 4, 2025 against innocent civilians in the village of Al-Shaqiq, located in the town of Taiba Al-Lahouin in Sennar State, which claimed the lives of 35 civilians, most of whom were elderly women and children.”
It stated that the attack was carried out by groups affiliated with the Al-Baraa Brigades and the Al-Lahouin Brigades, which are fighting alongside the Sudanese army and the army’s military intelligence. They committed this crime “after prior planning and intensive meetings during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which included jihadist leaders, security forces, and extremist elements from the area .”
The organization continued, “The attackers carried out their operation wearing official Sudanese Armed Forces uniforms and driving camouflaged military vehicles. They slaughtered, crucified, and mutilated the victims, claiming their affiliation with or sympathy for the Rapid Support Forces( RSF). ”
It emphasized that the village of Al-Shaqiq is inhabited by citizens of western Sudan, who have historical neighborly and intermarriage ties with the residents of Taiba Al-Lahwein dating back more than half a century.
The organization explained that this “makes this crime even more horrific and dangerous, not only because of its brutality, but also because of its direct threat to the country’s social fabric, transforming geopolitical disputes into a bloody ethnic conflict.”
The organization called for an independent international inquiry under the auspices of the United Nations and the International Criminal Court, and for the perpetrators of the massacre and their supporters, including leaders, financiers, and ideologues, to be held accountable.
It called for urgent international protection for civilians from Darfur and Kordofan in all areas under the control of the army and its allied groups. Citizens from Darfur and Kordofan, particularly Arab tribes, are subjected to widespread abuses in areas controlled by the army , under the pretext of cooperating with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).