KHARTOUM – April 15, 2025 – The United Nations has reported that rebel forces have murdered over 400 people including women and children in one of the most brutal massacres of the Darfur region since the civil war last year.
As stated by the UN Human Office of Rights, the killings occurred in the town of Ardamata during the period of late October to early November 2024. Most of the victims are reported to belong from the non Arab masalit community, which means they were targeted ethnically.
“These were coordinated and systematic slaughter operations at a large scale,” marked the words by the UN high commissioner for human rights Volker Turk. “These awful atrocities seem to form part of a broader campaign by some armed groups aiming at the annihilation of entire populations through ethnic cleansing, displacement, and systematic deformation.”
The Rapid Support Forces, RSF, are a dominant paramilitary force of Yan Arabia, who have been battling it out mercilessly with Sudan’s regular army since April 2023. Having split out of the infamous Janjaweed militia, the RSF have been relentlessly accused time and again for the rampant violence in the entire Darfur region.
Survivors recounted stories of public executions, extensive looting, and the arson of entire villages. A woman who fled to a refugee camp in Chad recalled, “They shot my husband and my two sons right in front of my eyes… There was no announcement — just gunfire, infernos, and terrifying shrieks.”
As a response to the massacre, the UN has ordered an investigation and has called for all conflicting sides to adhere to international law regarding humanitarian concessions. The violence has inflicted more than 9 million casualties and many afflicted regions due to the persistent violence and blocked access pathways to resources.
Even though there is growing evidence of war crimes and humanitarian crises, the need for attention on the Sudanese conflict remains stagnant internationally. Advocacy groups are urging world powers to take action as soon as possible, fearing uncontested Sudan will lead to a genocidal conflict if there is no swift intervention.
With no progress on the matter, the conflict gets worse with each passing day. Civilians suffer greatly as they find themselves stuck between two warring factions with no global aid, and facing the constant threat of being hunted in their own country.