The European Union (EU) has issued a stern condemnation regarding the escalating violence in Sudan’s Darfur region. The EU expressed deep concern over the potential for “another genocide.”

The conflict, ongoing since April, involves Sudan’s regular army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The RSF’s recent gains have granted them de facto control in western Darfur. Allegations of mass killings, sexual assaults, and widespread looting by the RSF have contributed to a dire humanitarian crisis, drawing global attention to the region’s deteriorating circumstances.

EU Chief Diplomat Josep Borrell has attributed the recent atrocities to what appears to be a broader ethnic cleansing campaign orchestrated by the RSF, specifically targeting the non-Arab Masalit community in West Darfur. These acts of violence compound earlier instances witnessed in June, prompting Borrell to underscore the international legal obligation of the warring parties to protect civilians in Darfur and throughout Sudan.

Recent statements from the UN humanitarian coordinator for Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, describe the situation in Darfur as “verging on pure evil,” citing reports of rapes and other atrocities. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) reports the destruction of 100 shelters in a displaced persons’ camp in Ardamta, further underscoring the severity of the crisis.

“It’s a catastrophic situation, which is just getting worse and worse,” remarked Toby Harward, deputy humanitarian co-ordinator for Darfur for the UN’s refugee agency UNHCR. “Hundreds of thousands of civilians and displaced people are now in great danger in El Fasher.”