UN Calls for the Creation of a Safe Passage for Fleeing Individuals from Genaina

Moatinoon
On Saturday, the spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ravina Shamdasani, called for the establishment of a safe passage for those fleeing from Genaina and for assistance to reach relief workers. This call came in response to reports of extrajudicial killings and the continued spread of hate speech, including calls for the killing or expulsion of the Masalit community, between the city and the border areas.

In a statement, the international organization gathered testimonies from those who fled from Genaina to Adre, Chad, revealing that armed Arab militias supported by the Rapid Support Forces have killed individuals who fled Genaina on foot. These militias primarily target adult males from the Masalit community.

Furthermore, the organization reported accounts from witnesses who saw scattered bodies along the road and a pervasive stench of decomposition in the Shakir area, approximately 10 kilometers from the border. It was reported that one or more of the Arab militias have established a base there.

One man stated that only 17 out of 30 people who reached the Chadian border managed to cross, while the others were shot at by vehicles belonging to the Rapid Support Forces and Arab militias near the Chadian border. Some were summarily executed, and the survivors had their phones and money looted, with the perpetrators shouting, You are slaves, you are Masalit.

The UN called for immediate action to halt indiscriminate killings, ensure a safe passage for fleeing individuals from Genaina, and allow humanitarian agencies to access the area to collect the remains of the deceased.

The leadership of the Rapid Support Forces was urged to condemn and halt the killings of those fleeing from Genaina, as well as all forms of violence and hate speech based on racial affiliation. Additionally, those responsible for the killings and other acts of violence should be held accountable.