Academics condemn alleged civilian massacre in el-Fasher

Academics condemn alleged civilian massacre in el-Fasher

Academics who are part of the Radical Change Forces’ Alliance (RCFA) in war-torn Sudan have condemned the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for alleged mass civilian killings in the city of el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, and have called for the formation of a unified front to lead a peaceful popular resistance campaign to end the ongoing war.

The RSF seized el-Fasher on 25 October, and an estimated 2,000 people had been killed by Wednesday, 29 October, reported Al Jazeera.

Eyewitness accounts, photos, video clips and satellite images of the reported events in el-Fasher have been circulating on social media.

Sudan’s national army and the RSF have been locked in a war since 15 April 2023 in which about 20,000 people have been killed and 15 million have been displaced, according to reports by the United Nations and local media.

The alliance, in a statement released on 27 October, condemned crimes committed against civilians.

“We demand an immediate, independent international investigation to uncover those responsible for the crimes of killing, extermination, starvation, trafficking the lives of civilians, and schemes to tear apart and fragment the nation.

“We appeal to and call upon the international community, humanitarian organisations, the United Nations, and humanity to take immediate and urgent action to stop these massacres and the flow of weapons to all parties, and to open safe humanitarian corridors to immediately deliver food, medicine and relief to the besieged civilians and to guarantee and secure their safety in their homes, cities, and villages,” according to the statement.

The alliance’s message aligns with a statement on 28 October by the Operational Humanitarian Country Team in Sudan on Attacks Against Civilians in el-Fasher.

The alliance consists of various mass organisations and trade unions, most notably the Sudanese Professionals’ Association (SPA) and the Sudanese Women’s Union, which includes academics.

The SPA is an umbrella group of independent professional unions, including doctors, engineers, teachers and lawyers as well as the academic staff association, which led to nationwide protests until the removal of former president Omar al-Bashir in 2019.

Call for a resistance campaign

The alliance has also called for a broad-based peaceful civilian resistance campaign to monitor humanitarian aid efforts to ensure that they reach those who deserve them and not fall into the hands of war profiteers.

“We demand the prosecution of war profiteers and any party that has sold or is selling the lives of civilians for political or negotiating gains, both domestically and internationally. They should be subject to political and social isolation, legal prosecution, accountability, and the penalties they deserve,” the alliance said in its statement.

“We, [the] RCFA, call upon all citizens, every honourable patriot who loves this nation, its land and its people, and all forces of the revolution – political, civil, revolutionary, labour, student, trade union, professional, women’s, and youth organisations – and all honourable people of the world, to immediately join this call: End this war forever, to save civilians, and to stop the bloodshed.”

Education under attack

Speaking to University World News, Dr Abdelillah Douda, one of the Darfuri academics who earlier issued an appeal for humanitarian help in Darfur, said: “I completely agree with the RCFA’s statement. Now, with all aspects of life in the country deteriorating, the call for peace is even more urgent. I add my voice to theirs in calling for peace, building a permanent ceasefire in Sudan.

“It is a very sad moment in the lives of the Sudanese people witnessing the horrific acts [allegedly] committed by the Janjaweed against innocent civilians in el-Fasher – a key city serving as a humanitarian hub for five Darfuri states.

“The suffering of the entire population of the region is immeasurable, including students of higher education institutions. University students, academics, and their educational institutions in el-Fasher have been targets of these atrocities since the very first day of the conflict in the city,” Douda said.

He added: “Some of the universities community have been killed, and others have fled to safer places such as Chad, the Central African Republic, Egypt, and Libya.

“University education for students has been interrupted since April 2023 and most have lost hope of ever returning to university lecture halls.

“I don’t believe we have the resources to provide them with any kind of higher education today. What they and their families are seeking are the basic necessities of human life: food, security, and peace,” Douda said.

Dr Mosab Nouraldein Hamad, the director of the Excellence Research Center at Elsheikh Abdallah Elbadri University in Berber, Sudan, described the situation as “dire and catastrophic” and told University World News that, with supply lines being cut off by the Rapid Support Forces, citizens were forced to eat cattle feed.

“What is happening now in Darfur is affecting life in general in the Darfur region… because insecurity and famine are disrupting everything,” Hamad added.

According to the International Organization for Migration, about 26,000 people fled el-Fasher within 48 hours due to the ongoing clashes.

“How can university education possibly function amid hunger, fear, displacement, and ethnically motivated killings?” Hamad asked.

“The lecture halls and labs of the five universities in Darfur have become targets for bullets and bombs instead of places of learning for about 95,000 students who lost their chance for completing their education,” he added.

“I came across a video clip for Darfur’s female university students, explaining their arduous journey to Khartoum to complete their studies at Khartoum University,” Hamad said.

“Amid the ongoing war, thousands of students from Darfur face an uncertain future, and there are calls for providing alternative locations for universities.

“This situation demands serious support from all organisations concerned with higher education worldwide.”