Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, has strongly condemned atrocities committed against civilians in Sudan’s North Darfur region by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), as fighting in the war-torn country intensifies.
Speaking in Doha on Tuesday at the opening of the Second World Summit for Social Development, Sheikh Tamim expressed deep outrage over the situation in al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur, recently seized by the RSF after an 18-month siege.
“I cannot conclude this address without pointing to our collective shock from the horror of the atrocities that have been committed in the city of al-Fashir in Sudan, and our deep condemnation of it,” the Emir said.
Witnesses and humanitarian groups have reported mass killings, sexual violence, looting, abductions, and forced displacement following the RSF’s takeover, despite the group’s denial of wrongdoing. Satellite images and eyewitness accounts have painted a grim picture of widespread destruction.
A UN-backed global hunger monitor on Tuesday confirmed famine conditions in al-Fashir and Kadugli, further worsening Sudan’s humanitarian crisis.
“Sudan has been living the horrors of this war for two-and-a-half years. The time has come to stop it and reach a political solution that preserves the country’s unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity,” Sheikh Tamim urged.
The war between the RSF and the Sudanese army, which began in April 2023, has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the conflict is “spiralling out of control” and called for an immediate ceasefire.
Meanwhile, residents continue to flee al-Fashir, seeking refuge in overcrowded displacement camps amid worsening shortages of food, water, and medical supplies.
