Sudan Conflict Observatory: Surge in Violence Against Civilians Since the Beginning of the Year
moatinoon
The Sudan Conflict Observatory stated that violence against civilians in Sudan has escalated since the beginning of the current year despite a decrease in the total clashes in the ongoing war in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.
The observatory clarified in its latest report on Thursday that the number of incidents targeting civilians from January 6th to February 9th amounted to more than 655 cases of political violence, resulting in 1,068 fatalities.
It added that most of these civilian losses occurred in Khartoum, Al Jazeera, East and North Darfur, North and South Kordofan, and Abyei.
The report, prepared by a team of researchers at George Mason University as part of the Sudan Conflict Observatory, with support from the Conflict and Stabilization Operations Bureau of the U.S. Department of State, documented a series of military confrontations during February by the Sudanese Armed Forces, Rapid Support Forces, their allies, and the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement led by Abdul Aziz Al-Hilu in Khartoum, Khartoum Bahri, Omdurman, El Fasher, Babanusa, and Habila.
The report indicated that civilians were directly targeted by the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces, including brutal attacks against women. Telecommunication networks and the internet were also targeted nationwide, leading to power outages for millions of Sudanese, preventing them from accessing funds to purchase essential goods. Furthermore, there has been an increased distribution of small arms to civilians by the Sudanese Armed Forces following a call by Army Chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan to mobilize 40,000 civilians to fight against the Rapid Support Forces. Moreover, the forced displacement of 10.7 million people since the crisis began in April 2023 has increased their vulnerability to diseases, with 60% to 70% of hospitals across the country non-operational.
The report also highlighted the deteriorating conditions of press freedom and freedom of expression in Sudan, stating that both are increasingly being suppressed.
Sudanese journalist Hawwa Rahma was quoted as saying, "Independent newspapers, websites, TV broadcasting stations, and radio programs have been shut down," and that the only functioning media outlets are under the control of the military or Rapid Support Forces, with both sides distributing lists of journalists they accuse of "betraying" the country.
Since the outbreak of war in April 2023, the Committee to Protect Journalists has documented "multiple incidents of killing, shooting, beating, harassment, and arrest of journalists in Sudan."
The Sudan Conflict Observatory is a joint project managed by Esri, a company specializing in Geographic Information System (GIS) software, location-based information, and mapping since 1969, and Planet Labs, previously used in Syria and Myanmar to identify the extent and locations of destruction using artificial intelligence systems and other sources, in addition to the Humanitarian Studies Laboratory at Yale University.
