On Tuesday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeted, abused, and killed people with disabilities during their October 26 takeover of the long-besieged city of El Fasher in North Darfur province.
The RSF deliberately targeted people with disabilities, often accusing them of being members of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), HRW said, calling on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the African Union (AU) to intervene to prevent further atrocities against civilians.
In a series of interviews with survivors, HRW documented how the RSF singled out people with disabilities. Emina Ćerimović, associate disability rights director at HRW, stated, “The Rapid Support Forces treated people with disabilities as suspects, burdens, or expendable.” Ćerimović claimed, “We heard how they accused some victims, particularly those missing a limb, of being injured fighters and summarily executed them,” adding that others were “beaten, abused or harassed because of their disability”, being mocked by fighters as “insane” or not a “complete person”.
Under Common Article 3 of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, persons taking no active part in hostilities are protected from “violence to life and person” and “humiliating and degrading treatment”. Under Article 7 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, these acts may constitute crimes against humanity when committed as part of a widespread attack against the civilian population.
A Sudan Tribune investigation into displacement camps that house internally displaced people fleeing the violence of the Sudanese civil war found that Sudanese people with disabilities constitute an especially vulnerable population within a wider context of humanitarian crisis. The investigation found that people with disabilities make up 22 per cent of displaced households in areas like North Darfur’s Tawila, but less than 10 per cent of those registered have access to essential assistive devices or specialized medical care. The investigation criticized the international humanitarian response for failing to account for the specialized needs of people with disabilities. The investigation cites that the lack of a comprehensive official census by international organizations creates a “statistical vacuum”. Under a “one-size-fits-all” aid distribution model that fails to account for limited mobility, the investigation argues, specific funding is not allocated for prosthetic limbs, hearing aids, and accessible infrastructure.
Under Article 9 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, people with disabilities are to be provided access on an equal basis with others to infrastructure. Article 11 of that Convention calls on states to take “all necessary measures” to ensure the protection and safety of persons with disabilities, including during “situations of armed conflict” and “humanitarian emergencies”.
The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan has found that the organized operations committed by the RSF during the takeover of the El Fasher region especially targeted ethnic Zaghawa and Fur communities. The UN report concluded that genocidal intent was a reasonable inference for the perpetrated abuses, stressing the scale, coordination, and public endorsement of the operations.
