Hadi Idris, a former member of the Sovereignty Council and the leader of the Revolutionary Front comprising several Darfur movements opposed to war, told Sky News Arabia that the ongoing battles in El Fasher are intensifying relentlessly. The only available option to save hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped there and at significant risk is to provide them with safe passages, amid the rejection of previous solutions proposed by neutral movements.
Hundreds have been killed or injured since the fighting broke out in El Fasher, which is the only city in the Darfur region where the army still has a presence after the Rapid Support Forces took control of more than 90% of the region’s areas.
Importance of El Fasher and Mutual Accusations Between the Army and Rapid Support
El Fasher accommodates a quarter of Darfur’s population, which totals about 6 million people, representing 20% of Sudan’s area and about 14% of the country’s population of approximately 42 million. El Fasher is one of the most strategic cities in the region, linking Sudan’s borders with Libya, Chad, and Central Africa. The fighting parties exchange accusations regarding the responsibility for the recent escalation that has worsened the humanitarian situation in the city. The Rapid Support claims that despite its commitment since March not to advance towards the army headquarters in the city, following international and local calls from community leaders and organizations for the sake of civilian lives, it was forced to defend itself. On the other hand, the army claims that it was the Rapid Support Forces that initiated the attack and shelled civilian neighborhoods.
Rejected Solutions
Hadi Idris blamed the fighting parties for the deterioration of the humanitarian situation by rejecting solutions proposed by neutral movements. These movements had launched a humanitarian initiative in February, which included mechanisms to assist citizens and called for both sides of the war to open humanitarian corridors for aid entry, promising to provide the necessary protection and security for it to reach the civilians, yet it met with no response.
Regarding the protection of civilians in Darfur, Idris explained that the neutral movements proposed three options, all rejected: ceasing the war through a ceasefire agreement, the army and Rapid Support Forces withdrawing from El Fasher to hand over security responsibilities to a joint force of armed movements, or opening safe passages to ensure the evacuation of civilians from the conflict areas in the city. Idris disclosed that the neutral armed movements are making arrangements to form a new joint force to protect civilians, humanitarian and commercial convoys, and secure public facilities.
Idris believes that a peaceful solution to the country’s crisis would come through a political process addressing the roots and causes of the conflict, establishing new political and constitutional arrangements as the only guarantee to prevent the division of Sudan.
Major Concerns
In the past two weeks, hundreds of civilians have been killed or injured in El Fasher amid fears of more civilian casualties and the current fighting fueling tribal conflicts, especially given the significant divisions among the numerous armed movements. The most significant concerns involve the dense presence of armed movements representing various ethnic groups, which have increased to more than 87 compared to just three movements when the civil war broke out in 2003. After forming the “joint force” to protect civilians as part of the security arrangements stipulated in the Juba peace agreement signed in late 2020, these movements split into neutral movements and a few aligning with the army after the current war.
