Darfur: Forty-one civilians including children killed in Donki Shatta village and Nyala city

(24 November 2023) African Center for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) expresses deep concern about the continuous targeting of civilians by the Sudanese Army (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). ACJPS has documented two separate incidents where 41 civilians were killed and several others injured in Donki Shatta locality in North Darfur and Nyala city in South Darfur.

We reiterate our calls to both SAF and RSF to end the violent conflict that has resulted to deaths, injuries and displacement. Sudanese authorities must take all measures to protect the human rights of the Sudanese people and respect their demand for democracy and a peaceful transition to civilian rule.

We further call upon both the RSF and SAF to:

• Uphold the rights of civilians, including their right to life.
• Ensure that humanitarian aid reaches those in need without hindrance.
• Engage in peaceful dialogue to find a lasting and peaceful solution to the conflict.
• Take responsibility for any actions that have resulted in harm to civilians or other parties involved in the conflict.
• Cooperate with regional partners to find a lasting solution to the conflict. This is essential to ending the violence and ensuring peace for the people of Sudan.

 We call upon regional and international bodies to intervene and deploy observers to ensure that the parties honour local ceasefire agreements signed in different states.

Incident in Donki Shatta village in North Darfur

On 10 November 2023, at around 08:00am, a military aircraft (Antonov) belonging to the Sudanese Airforce Unit under SAF arial bombed Donki Shatta, a village located approximately 18 kilometers North East of Elfashir, the North Darfur capital. The incident resulted into the death of two female residents including a child and the injuring of two other children who were later transferred to Elfashir Hospital where they are currently receiving medical attention.

The deceased are:

Khadiga Abdallah (f), aged 73-years-old. She died on the spot in the village.

Masajed Abdallah Basi (f) aged 12-years-old. She was pronounced dead at Elfashir Hospital.

The children who sustained injuries are:

Madiha Abdallah Basi (f), aged 17-years-old. She sustained injuries on her head.

Muzdlafa Abdallah Basi (f), aged 9-years-old. She broke her right hand.

Incident in Nyala city in South Darfur

Between 23 to 25 October 2023, SAF and the RSF engaged in a gunfight in Nyala city, the capital of South Darfur thus resulting into the withdrawal of SAF from its base in 16 division in Nyala and creating the opportunity for RSF to seize and control the city. ACJPS has documented a total of 39 deaths that resulted from the gunfight between the parties. The corpses of the victims remained on main street until a youth initiative from Al-Raig neighborhood volunteered to accord them a decent burial. The incident also led to massive loss and destruction of property leading to an exodus of the residents to fairly safer neighborhoods such as Alwhda,  Alwadi, Alsinema, Almazad, Alraig, Khartoum Belil, Congo, Esbitalia and North Aljeer.

Some of the deceased include:

1. Adgil (m)
2. Rania Ali Isa (f)
3. Daif Allah Mohamed Tyrab (m)
4. Rabia Bushra (f)
5. Mohamed Abdallah (m)
6. Mohamed Musa Yahiya (m)
7. Maysra Musa (m)
8. Mujtaba Musa Yahiya (m)
9. Zahra Abdallah
10. Abu Bakar Mustafa (m)
11. Aljameel Barakat (m)
12. Ateem Basi (m)
13. Hamad Basi (m)
14. Abdul Kareem Aldoma (m)
15. Salwa Mustafa (f)
16. Nawal Ibrahim (f)
17. Ahmed Musa (m)

The injured include:

1. Abdul Gadir Fadul Allah (m)
2. Jalal (m)
3. Jamal Badur
4. Manahil Musa (f)
5. Eldien (m)
6. Musa Aldood (m)
7. Rehab Alsir (f)
8. Abdallah Alrehima (m)
9. babkir Abdul Rahman (m)
10. Salama Alzain (f)
11. Mutaz Alhaj (m)
12. Mansour Abdul Rahman (m)
13. Khalil Algali (m)
14. Bushra Jadeen (m)
15. Abbas Ramadan (m)
16. Nurah Suleiman (m)
17. Taj Elden Faris (m)
18. khalid Alhadi Suar Shuaib (m)
19. Zaki Berima (m)
20. Halima Isa (f)
21. Namarg Alzain (f)

Background

Since the war erupted in Sudan on 15 April 2023, the humanitarian crisis and human rights violations in Sudan have reached an unprecedented scale. There has been indiscriminate targeting of civilians and infrastructure by the warring parties. As the conflict enters its eighth month, the death toll continues to rise, with the remains of many victims yet to be located, collected, identified, or buried. While estimates suggest that over 10,000 lives have been lost by November 2023, the true extent of the tragedy is likely much higher due to the intensity of the fighting and the challenges in documenting and confirming casualties.