Ethnic Violence Escalates in Sudan's Darfur

Human Rights Watch reported today, Tuesday, that armed men killed at least 40 civilians in one day in the Sudanese region of Darfur. The Darfur Bar Association, which monitors the conflict, noted in a statement that several prominent figures have been killed in recent days in the city of Genina, West Darfur, stating "volunteers are struggling to bury the bodies scattered in the streets." In a new report, Human Rights Watch documented the killing of at least 40 civilians, including the execution of at least 28 members of the Masalit community in the city of Misteri, West Darfur. The report states that "Rapid Support Forces and allied Arab militias surrounded the city of Misteri early on May 28, stormed homes and schools, and shot civilians at close range before looting and burning most of the city." The organization urged the International Criminal Court to investigate the violence. Local officials reported that "97 people have died, including members of the Popular Defense Forces." Senior researcher on crises and conflict at Human Rights Watch, Jean-Baptiste Gallopin, stated, "Survivor accounts from the recent attacks in West Darfur echo the horror, destruction, and despair that existed in Darfur 20 years ago." Violence and displacement in Darfur have sharply renewed as the regular army and semi-military Rapid Support Forces continue their conflict in the capital Khartoum and other areas of Sudan in a power struggle that erupted in mid-April.