Lyse Doucet / BBC reports that the ghostly outskirts of El Geneina are now deserted, but the empty buildings still stand as a stark reminder of the shocking events that took place there. Charred homes and shops with bullet holes, wrecked doors, and smashed shutters paint a grim picture of the violence that erupted in this hardscrabble capital of West Darfur.
UN’s new relief chief Tom Fletcher described his chilling drive through the ruins and ghost towns, highlighting the crisis of protection, epidemic of sexual violence, and looming famine in Darfur. The area is controlled by rival forces, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, who have been accused of ethnic cleansing and possible war crimes.
The UN delegation, including journalists, traveled from the Chadian border town of Adre to witness the aftermath of massacres that killed up to 15,000 people. Refugees from El Geneina shared their harrowing stories of survival, escaping hunger and violence that claimed the lives of their loved ones.
In El Geneina, a health centre in an displacement camp provided a glimpse of a different side of the city, where armed RSF men were not visibly present. Community elders expressed their needs for assistance, including food, schools, and clean water, as women took charge of their families in the wake of the conflict.
NGOs working in Darfur voiced their struggles to respond to the crisis, pointing out the failures of the UN system and the urgent need for more support. The fear of indifference from the global community looms large, as the situation in Darfur continues to worsen, with famine declared in one part of the region and others on the brink.
Despite challenges, Fletcher remains hopeful that more aid and support will reach those in need, as efforts to address the humanitarian crisis in Darfur intensify.