El Fasher, August 4(Darfur 24)
The Emergency Lawyers Group revealed on Monday that 14 civilians were killed by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) gunfire in the village of Qarni, northwest of El Fasher, North Darfur State.
The RSF has imposed a tight siege on El Fasher since April of last year, attempting to seize control of the city as the army’s last stronghold in Darfur.
The Emergency Lawyers Group said in a statement that the RSF committed a “horrific massacre the day before yesterday, Saturday, in the village of Qarni, resulting in the deaths of at least 14 civilians, and dozens more wounded with varying degrees of severity. They also arrested an unknown number of civilians whose fate remains unknown.”
The group indicated that this crime occurred after the victims left El Fasher in an attempt to escape the siege and escalating fighting.
The war and siege have forced more than 782,000 people to flee El Fasher and Zamzam camp, according to the International Organization for Migration. The World Food Programme estimates that 300,000 civilians remain trapped in El Fasher, with cash transfers sent to 256,000 of them last June.
Qarni village, located on the road linking the northern countryside to El Fasher, is a vital supply point for the city.
The statement said that RSF are imposing severe restrictions in Qarni village, including restricting movement, blocking supplies, and obstructing aid access, making it one of the most dangerous transit areas for civilians fleeing El Fasher.
The Emergency Lawyers group condemned the crime committed in Qarni village and held RSF responsible for targeting civilians and the policy of siege and starvation it is implementing against hundreds of thousands of El Fasher residents.
It called for those responsible for implementing, preparing, and justifying this siege to be held accountable, as it constitutes a starvation crime, and for ensuring that they do not escape punishment.
It called for the opening of safe corridors for civilians to leave conflict areas, with international coordination, and for ensuring that civilians are not subjected to attacks or used as a tool in the conflict. It also called for facilitating the provision of immediate and regular humanitarian aid and respecting the rules of international humanitarian law in all conflict zones.
Families in El Fasher are forced to eat “ambaz,” the remains of peanuts after oil extraction, which are typically used as livestock feed, due to the lack of food in the city.