Establish escape routes in Sudan immediately, negotiate a ceasefire!

“The situation in El Fasher in Sudan – the only provincial capital in Darfur that is still partly controlled by the Sudanese army – is becoming worse by the hour. Hundreds of thousands of civilians there are in immediate danger,” warned Sarah Reinke, head of human rights work at the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP). 

“The millions of euros that Germany pledged at the donor conference for Sudan in mid-April will not help the dead. Please negotiate safe escape routes and a ceasefire with the international partners – immediately – to prevent further loss of life in El Fasher,” Reinke appealed to German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

“Our partners in the region reported very worrying developments over the last few weeks,” Reinke said. “What is happening in El Fasher at the moment is horrific. The city is becoming a huge graveyard for the civilian population. Civilians are deliberately shot at to force them to flee. At the same time, they are prevented from escaping. There are massacres. El Fasher is almost deserted. We are lucky to still be alive,” stated one of the coordinators of the Darfur office of the women’s rights organization Bana Group for Peace and Development in El Fasher.

The city of El Fasher and the surrounding region have been under attack for more than two weeks now. The Die Rapid Support Forces (RFS), the opponents of the army, are trying to take the city by force. All warring parties are indifferent to the civilian population and the around 800.000 refugees in El Fasher. “There are targeted attacks on hospitals and shelters for refugees. The warring parties have cordoned off the city, there are no routes of escape,” Reinke said.