Abu Dhabi. The ongoing civil war in Sudan between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Army (SAF) has taken a terrible turn, especially in the city of Al-Fashar in the Darfur region. The Joint Force, an ally of the Sudanese army, alleged that the RSF killed more than 2,000 unarmed civilians, mostly women, children and the elderly, in the city of al-Fashar on 26 and 27 October. Satellite analysis by Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) states that this is deliberate ethnic cleansing of non-Arab communities (such as the Fur, Zaghawa and Burti). HRL’s satellite analysis shows clusters of corpses and blood-stained red soil around the city, which can even be seen from space. According to reports, RSF fighters are shooting civilians under the pretext of door-to-door search operations, and a video shows women and children being lined up and fired indiscriminately from the front. The RSF have captured the city of al-Fashar after an 18-month siege and now control all five state headquarters in the Darfur region.
According to reports from US intelligence agencies, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has significantly increased the supply of Chinese weapons and drones to the RSF. But UAE has been denying these allegations. According to a report, a large quantity of Chinese Rainbow series drones, small arms, heavy machine guns, cannons, vehicles and ammunition are being supplied to the RSF from Abu Dhabi. These same weapons are being used to kill civilians in Darfur, which the United Nations has termed as possible ethnic cleansing.
RSF leader Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemeti) is said to be a close ally of the UAE, having set up his business headquarters in Dubai. RSF’s economic roots are strengthened by smuggling of illegal gold from the mines of Darfur through Dubai. This information highlights the seriousness of the ongoing crisis and civilian killings in Sudan, and also raises questions about the alleged involvement of outside countries.