The paramilitaries denounce that the NGO report contains errors related to data, places and dates
July 15 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of Sudan have “categorically” denied the accusations of the NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW), which last Tuesday blamed the RSF and allied Arab militias for executing 28 members of the Massalit community in an attack carried out in May in the state of Western Darfur, calling on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate these crimes.
“The RSF respect International Humanitarian Law, treaties and agreements related to Human Rights. They are considered fundamental norms to be followed by all regular forces in charge of carrying out any mission, whether inside or outside the borders of Sudan” , the RSF spokesman said in a statement on Friday, assuring that they take HRW’s accusations “very seriously.”
In the same note, the spokesman for the paramilitaries has assured that “the allegations about the involvement of the RSF in this activity that appears in the report are not based on solid evidence” and that what happened in the area “is a tribal conflict of long duration, in which the RSF are not involved”.
They have also denounced that “part of the information presented in the HRW report is partially based on unreliable sources and contains errors related to data, places and dates.” “These discrepancies have led to erroneous conclusions and inaccurate reporting in the media,” they added.
THE RSF CALLS FOR “PREMATURE ACCUSATIONS” TO BE MADE AGAINST US
The Rapid Support Forces have explained that Human Rights Watch did not contact the RSF to “ask for an explanation before making such a strong accusation” and that, “consequently, they did not learn that all RSF personnel had been removed officially from all areas of the state before these events”.
On the other hand, the RSF spokesperson has highlighted the directives of its leaders addressed to its personnel deployed in Western Darfur “so that they refrain from participating in hostilities, maintain their positions and act with restraint.”
In addition, they have stressed that already in their statement of June 15 on the events in Western Darfur, they stressed “the need for a fair investigation by neutral parties” and asked that “accusations be avoided before the facts have been established”. .
Finally, the statement states that the HRW report “does not take into account the testimony of the second party involved in the tribal conflict, namely the Arab tribes” and that “it does not mention the origin and causes of the conflict , deliberately focusing on one of the parts and directing (towards it)”.
“The RSF reiterates its commitment and willingness to investigate the accusations seriously and urges all parties to avoid premature accusations before establishing the truth of what happened. We remain dedicated to defending human rights and guaranteeing justice and stability in the region” .
The Rapid Support Forces are “willing to engage and collaborate with HRW to guarantee the provision of reliable data and all the necessary information that can help guarantee a fair and impartial investigation,” the statement concluded.
The NGO indicated last Tuesday in a report that the RSF and allied Arab militias stormed the town of Misterei on May 28, where thousands of people reside -mainly members of the Massalit community-, where they also killed and injured dozens of civilians, in the context of the conflict that broke out on April 15 between the Sudanese Army and the RSF.
In the aforementioned publication, they detailed that the assailants killed people in their homes, in the streets or in the places where they tried to hide, after which they opened fire on people who were trying to escape, injuring several children, and they dedicated themselves to looting and set fire to most of the city, causing thousands of people to flee to Chad.
The current hostilities between the Army and the paramilitaries broke out in the context of an increase in tensions around the integration of the RSF within the Armed Forces, a key part of an agreement signed in December to form a new civilian government and reactivate the transition open after the overthrow in 2019 of Omar Hasan al Bashir, damaged by the coup in October 2021, in which the prime minister of unity, Abdalá Hamdok, was overthrown.
The war has so far left more than 1,100 dead, according to the Sudanese Ministry of Health, but the real figures could be much higher considering the inter-communal violence unleashed in the Kordofan and Darfur regions.
In addition, more than 2.9 million people have been displaced, including nearly 700,000 who have fled to neighboring countries, according to data released last week by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), amid reports of daily atrocities and sexual abuse of on a large scale against the women and girls of the country.
