After the bloody civil war that erupted 20 years ago in Sudan’s Darfur region, the world had declared that “this must never happen again — yet here we are once more,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, condemning ethnic violence, rape, and other atrocities.
Two and a half years after a brutal war broke out between the army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan — the de facto ruler since the 2021 coup — and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Hemedti,” the conflict is now concentrated in Darfur and Kordofan, Grandi told Agence France-Presse.
He explained that “a large part of this violence reminds us of what happened 20 years ago in Darfur — the ethnic undertones, the methods being used,” pointing to “rape of women, forced child recruitment, amputations, and violence against opponents.”
In 2003, former president Omar al-Bashir unleashed Arab Janjaweed militias to crush a rebellion by non-Arab groups in Darfur, where atrocities left about 300,000 people dead and around 2.5 million displaced or refugees, according to the UN.
Investigations are still ongoing at the International Criminal Court, including charges of genocide.
General Dagalo, a prominent Janjaweed leader, has since waged war against the army chief, with the fighting that erupted in April 2023 killing tens of thousands.
“This is the world’s worst humanitarian crisis,” said Grandi, noting that there are “12 million displaced people, including four million who have fled to neighboring countries — which themselves face instability.”
But has the world forgotten?
“Let’s be honest,” Grandi replied. “I’m not sure the world has forgotten, because it never really paid attention in the first place.” He added that he is “not very optimistic” that the annual UN meetings in New York will change anything.
The UN refugee chief expressed particular concern over the “catastrophic” situation in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur and the last major city in the vast region still under army and allied control.
After 18 months of siege by RSF forces, the city — home to hundreds of thousands of “hungry and desperate” people — now faces one of the most desperate humanitarian situations in the world, according to Grandi.
“Tired?”
“Compared to 20 years ago, international attention is far less,” he said, asking: “Is it fatigue? Competition with other crises? Or a feeling that these crises will never be resolved?” He continued, “It’s hard to say, but people are suffering just as much.”
According to the UN official, the humanitarian community — whether UN agencies or NGOs — now has fewer resources to help, particularly due to significant cuts in foreign aid from the United States and also from Europeans.
“My message to European donors,” he stressed, “is that they are making a grave strategic mistake.”
He warned that “depriving people and refugees of humanitarian assistance in this belt around Europe — where multiple crises are unfolding — is a recipe for more people setting off toward Europe.”
