CAIRO: The UN Joint Human Rights office (UNITAMS) on Wednesday claimed to receive credible reports about the 13 mass graves in Sudan’s El Geneina, in Darfur, and its surrounding areas.
The UN mission in a post on social media platform X, formerly twitter said that the graves are believed to be the result of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and militias’ attacks on civilians.
1/2) “The UN Joint Human Rights Office received credible reports about the existence of at least 13 mass graves in ElGeneina & its surrounding areas as a result of the RSF and Arab militias’ attacks on civilians, with the majority of these civilians from the Massalit community.”
— UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission Sudan (@UNITAMS) September 13, 2023
It added the majority of those killed were civilians from the Massalit community.
2/2) “UNITAMS and UN colleagues are documenting these violations and recall that these acts, if verified, may constitute war crimes.”
-SRSG Volker Perthes. https://t.co/RJgJXQQop6
— UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission Sudan (@UNITAMS) September 13, 2023
The mission further said UNITAMS and UN colleagues are documenting these violations and if verified may fall under war crimes.
Meanwhile at least 40 people, all civilians, were killed on Wednesday in an air strike in Sudan’s western Darfur region as country’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan is visiting Turkey on an official visit.
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Darfur home to one fourth of the population of Sudan has seen some of the worst fighting in the war between Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by Burhan’s former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, and the regular army.
According to estimates around 7,500 people have been killed since April 15.
