Northern Darfur is experiencing heightened social unrest amid accusations of ethnic violence allegedly perpetrated by armed movements allied with General al-Burhan’s forces (SAF). Reports of SAF civilian killings, village burnings, and targeted attacks based on tribal affiliations have raised fears of an impending ethnic conflict in the region.
In a statement on Saturday, Rapid Support Forces (RSF) advisor Basha Tabiq accused armed groups led by Minni Arko Minnawi and Jibril Ibrahim of carrying out “ethnic cleansing” against civilians in the Zaraq area.
Tabiq alleged that three elderly shepherds were killed last Friday, alongside widespread destruction of property, including the killing of livestock in what he described as “horrific scenes.”
Tabiq further accused Sudan’s Islamist-led government of orchestrating the attacks to ignite a full-scale civil war in Darfur. “This plan could spark widespread unrest across Sudan, especially in northern states,” he warned.
A local leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement in Northern Darfur, Mohamed Adam Kash, admitted to abducting residents in Zaraq but claimed they were in “safe hands.”
However, local sources reported continued targeting of civilians in ethnically mixed areas, calling the incidents a campaign of “ethnic cleansing” against Arab communities.
Escalation of Violence
Witnesses reported attacks allegedly led by Abdullah Banda, a fugitive wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Darfur. These attacks reportedly killed at least 39 civilians, mostly women and children, and involved the looting of property, slaughtering of livestock, and destruction of vital infrastructure, including a market and the region’s only hospital.
In a widely circulated video, an armed fighter threatened to kill civilians in all Arab villages, including children. Other footage showed armed convoys of the joint forces, with promises to intensify attacks on Arab nomadic communities.
RSF Denies Escalation Plans
Meanwhile, RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, reportedly intervened to prevent an RSF offensive on areas linked to key leaders of the armed movements, including Minni Arko Minnawi’s hometown of Kornoi in Northern Darfur. Instead, Dagalo ordered the RSF to focus on areas controlled by the SAF and allied movements.
An RSF commander claimed the Zaraq attack was part of a broader plan to turn the Darfur conflict into an ethnic war, allegedly masterminded by Sudan’s Port Sudan-based army-government.
The escalating violence in Northern Darfur adds to the complexity of Sudan’s broader conflict, as tensions between the RSF and General al-Burhan’s forces (SAF) continue to destabilize the region.
