MIGS Executive Director Kyle Matthews and Program and Outreach Coordinator Marie Lamensch co-signed an open letter calling the international community to act and prevent another genocide from happening in Sudan considering the escalation of the conflict and the warnings exposed.

Sudan Genocide Warning Letter

"We, the undersigned Darfuri survivors, members of the Sudanese diaspora, atrocities prevention experts, humanitarian aid professionals, academics, and advocates write this open letter as a warning and call to action. Twenty years ago, the world failed to prevent genocide in Darfur and has failed to hold perpetrators accountable for the last two decades. Action is needed now to avert further mass atrocities.

Years from now we do not want to hear that there was no warning. Let this serve as a clear warning, non-Arab populations in Darfur, especially members of the Masalit ethnic group, are at risk of genocide.

The armed conflict between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which began in April 2023, risks descending into a protracted conflict. Since the start of the conflict, over 3,000 people have been killed and nearly three million people have been displaced. While civilians across the country are at risk due to this ongoing war, the history of genocide coupled with recent reports of ethnically-targeted violence against civilians in Darfur means there is a higher risk of mass atrocities being committed against non-Arab populations in Darfur.

With the RSF’s increased force strength, power, and influence the threat to civilians in Darfur has grown considerably. During the genocide that began in 2003, Janjaweed militias, with support from the Sudanese government, were responsible for some of the worst violence against civilians in Darfur. The Janjaweed evolved into the RSF in 2013. Janjaweed members and leaders, including Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (aka “Hemedti”), the current leader of the RSF, have never been held accountable for the mass atrocities they’ve continued to commit since the early 2000s.

As Alice Wairimu Nderitu, United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, stated, “When perpetrators of past atrocities are not held accountable for their action, we are doomed to see history repeat itself.” Unfortunately, we are seeing history repeat itself right now.

The current violence in Darfur echoes the past with several reports indicating non-Arab groups are specifically being targeted. Doctors serving with Médecins Sans Frontières have reportedly said that El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, “has become one of the worst places on earth.” Credible reports and satellite imagery have shown “systematic arson attacks reportedly by the RSF.” Razing of villages was a tactic often employed throughout the Darfur genocide of the early 2000s.

There have also been targeted killings of high-profile individuals. On June 14th, the Governor of West Darfur, Khamis Abdallah Abbakar, was assassinated. His death came just hours after he criticized the RSF for committing genocide. The United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) stated that, “Compelling eyewitness accounts attribute this act to Arab militias and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).” Additionally, several members of the Masalit Sultan Saad Bahreldin’s family have been targeted and killed, including his brother.

The situation is dire. On June 15th, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths wrote on Twitter, “Darfur is spiraling into a humanitarian calamity. People are trapped in a living nightmare…The world cannot allow this to happen. Not again.”

The failures of the international community to protect the people of Darfur cannot continue. It is not too late to take decisive action, live up to the Responsibility to Protect, and prevent further loss of life.

We urge:

• The RSF, allied militias, and the SAF — respect international human rights and humanitarian law, refrain from targeting civilians, allow safe passage of civilians, and support unrestricted access of humanitarian aid and assistance. The RSF and allied militias must cease targeted attacks against non-Arab civilians.

• Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — pressure the conflicting parties to respect international humanitarian and human rights law. Unless there are repercussions for their actions, nothing will change. The governments of Saudi Arabia and the UAE should issue sanctions, asset freezes, and cut off any support for parties that violate international law.

• The United Nations — deploy a UN or hybrid civilian protection force in Darfur and Khartoum with a strong protection of civilians mandate, to establish safe zones and humanitarian corridors, and to assist with the work of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS). Since the United Nations — African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) ended its mission in 2020, violence against civilians in Darfur has been on the rise.

• establish an independent monitoring mechanism similar to the mechanisms established to investigate crimes in Myanmar and Syria. Perpetrators must be held accountable for mass atrocity crimes committed in Darfur, and elsewhere in Sudan. We cannot wait until this war is over to first begin collecting evidence. Accountability is imperative to achieve durable peace in Sudan.

• The United States — appoint a Presidential Envoy who will lead U.S. diplomatic efforts with Sudanese civil society and regional partners to develop a strategy centered on protecting civilians and bringing an end to the conflict.

• engage in strong diplomatic efforts with the EU, UK, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE to secure multilateral sanctions. While U.S. targeted sanctions are a useful tool, alone they are unlikely to have a significant impact. Multilateral targeted sanctions would cut off the financial flows that are funding the arms and fueling the conflict. Specifically, efforts must be made to block Russia’s Wagner Group from extracting conflict gold from Darfur in partnership with the RSF in exchange for arms."