A Town Destroyed, Daily Brief July 11, 2023

If you look at a map of the West Darfur region of Sudan, you’ll see a town called Misterei. It’s southwest of the regional capital, El Geneina, near the border with Chad. It used to be home to more than 40,000 people, mainly ethnic Massalit.

I say “used to be” because the town of Misterei has been destroyed.

Shortly after sunrise on May 28, thousands of fighters of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied Arab militias arrived on motorcycles, horses, and pickup trucks, surrounding the town. There was a brief clash with a small number of ethnic Massalit fighters trying to hold the town, but the defenders were quickly overrun.

The assailants – armed with assault rifles, recoilless rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, and vehicle-mounted machine guns – advanced through the town.

Survivors described the method to the horror. Some fighters entered houses, killing men inside and forcing other residents, mostly women and children, outside. Fighters on motorcycles then chased people through the streets. RSF pickup trucks parked at neighborhood exit points and shot at civilians fleeing.

Some residents sought safety in schools and in the mosque, but the attackers pursued them there as well. Assailants repeatedly entered classrooms looking for men and summarily executed those they found. Two women told us how they sprayed a classroom with bullets, severely injuring three women and two children, while demanding:

“Where are the men? Where are the boys? We want all of them! We want to kill them! Why didn’t you just flee and leave the country? Why are you still here?”

The RSF – an independent military force that has been in armed conflict with the Sudanese military since April – and its Arab militia allies pillaged the town. They looted residents’ property, stealing livestock, seeds, money, gold, mobile phones, and furniture.

Finally, they set the homes ablaze and burned most of Misterei to the ground.

In the evening, the attackers withdrew from the town, leaving survivors to deal with bodies in the streets and inside houses and schools. At least 59 people were buried in mass graves. Local officials say 97 people were killed. Human Rights Watch recorded the killing of at least 40 civilians.

Thousands of residents fled across the border to Chad, where our researchers spoke with them to help piece together the events of this massacre. Our team also analyzed satellite imagery and found that Misterei is not alone. Six other towns and villages in West Darfur were also burned down.

In this newsletter, we have repeatedly drawn attention to escalating ethnic attacks in West Darfur in the context of Sudan’s conflict, and we’ve highlighted the desperate need for international attention to this crisis.

How many more massacres like this one – how many more towns will be destroyed – before the UN Security Council takes action?