Massive Exodus as Violence Escalates in Darfur, Sudan

According to a medical charity, thousands of people have fled Sudan's West Darfur region due to concerns of ethnic cleansing. Witnesses have accused the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of specifically targeting and killing non-Arabs. The RSF recently captured the Sudanese army headquarters in the capital of West Darfur, El Geneina. The RSF denies any involvement in what they describe as a "tribal conflict" and claims to be battling the army for control of the country since April. Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) reports that most of the 7,000 people who have crossed into Chad in the past three days are women and children who are fleeing with nothing. Reuters news agency states that since the capture of El Geneina, the RSF and allied Arab militias have been accused of committing widespread violence against the ethnic Masalit people, including murder, looting, and sexual assault. The RSF has a history of atrocities against non-Arabic groups in the region. In recent weeks, they have been expanding their control, gaining territory in four out of five states in Darfur. Peace talks in Saudi Arabia aimed at securing a ceasefire have failed, leading to an unfolding humanitarian crisis described by the UN refugee agency as "unimaginable." Since the war began, approximately six million people have been displaced from their homes in Sudan.