Where stadiums turned into graves

Where stadiums turned into graves

According to Human rights watch..

On the morning of April 15, 2023, residents of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, were shocked by the outbreak of fighting in their city, which quickly spread to other parts of the country.

Two years later, the war in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces, the Rapid Support Forces, and a large number of armed groups and militias allied with these forces has led to the world's largest humanitarian crisis.

An estimated 12.9 million people have fled their homes, and half the country's population faces severe hunger, with famine spreading.

All parties involved have committed countless violations, devastating the lives of tens of millions of people, while tens of thousands of civilians have died.

Since the beginning of the conflict in Sudan, we have repeatedly sounded the alarm about the crisis and highlighted the international community's failure to address it.

As the war continues and some displaced people return to Khartoum, images continue to emerge confirming the massive destruction of civilian infrastructure. “We returned to Khartoum to find it destroyed,” a woman told Human Rights Watch. “We discovered that people were using a nearby stadium as a cemetery because they couldn’t properly bury their loved ones.”

Meanwhile, civilians continue to be attacked. This painful anniversary comes as horrific attacks continue in El Fasher and the Zamzam camp for internally displaced people, where nearly half a million people have taken refuge, and where the country has been gripped by famine since August.

It’s a catastrophe many predicted. Today, world leaders are gathering in London for a conference on the dire situation in Sudan, hosted by the United Kingdom, the European Union, France, and Germany.

They should act urgently to rein in abusive forces attacking civilians in and around El Fasher. Overall, Human Rights Watch makes three key recommendations:

Leaders should work to protect civilians—including by deploying a civilian protection mission—and ensure the safe and unrestricted provision of aid.

The arms embargo on Darfur should be expanded to cover the rest of Sudan. The United Nations must also hold violators of this embargo accountable, as the warring parties have acquired new, apparently foreign-made equipment.

Impunity for crimes committed in Sudan has driven violating forces to commit even more serious crimes. All concerned states should encourage justice efforts through various international and national avenues.

Given the scale of death and suffering—as evidenced by the ongoing events at Zamzam—something must be done.

Governments can and should alleviate some of Sudan's suffering.