UN: El-Fasher violence could be war crimes

THE International Criminal Court warned this week that atrocities committed in Sudan's El-Fasher could amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes, as the UN said that thousands had fled a neighbouring region where paramilitaries have turned their focus.

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According to UN figures, more than 36 000 civilians have fled towns and villages in the Kordofan region between October 26 and last Friday, while the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces warned it was amassing along a new front line.

Kordofan is a strategic area linking the vast western region of Darfur with Khartoum, the capital.

The widening of the war comes just over a week after the RSF took control of El-Fasher the army's last stronghold in Darfur - where reports of mass killings, sexual violence, looting and abductions have emerged in the aftermath.

The RSF has set up a rival administration in Darfur to the pro-army government operating out of the Red Sea city of Port Sudan.

Residents this week reported a major surge in both RSF and army forces across towns and villages in North Kordofan state.

The two sides are vying for El-Obeid, the North Kordofan state capital and a key logistics and command hub that links Darfur to Khartoum.

Suleiman Babiker, who lives in Um Smeima, said that following the paramilitary capture of El-Fasher, “the number of RSF vehicles increased”.

“We stopped going to our farms, afraid of clashes,” he told AFP.