The RSF massacres 227 civilians in Wad Al-Noura, Al Gezira

Noon Elsharif

Sudan’s war has gone on for over a year and has been declared the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. Everyone agrees that the war must end, but many disagree on the necessary sequence of events. For the people in Sudan, the answer is quite clear; the end of the war simply means the expulsion of the Rapid Support Forces militia. However, as only 10% of the population in Sudan speaks English, and the majority of the news is in Arabic, the dialogue regarding the war in English is left to the Western media and the Sudanese diaspora, who often impose their narratives, and paint the war as a ‘power struggle’ or a ‘war between two generals’.
The recent massacre by the RSF in Wad Al-Noura village, Al Gezira state, left the Sudanese community shaken but also showed the true colors of some entities who refrain from accusing the RSF directly. On June 5th, the RSF entered the village, continuing their habit of attacking unarmed civilians, looting, and ravaging whole communities. The Sudanese Armed Forces were not present in Wad Al-Noura during the massacre. There were no clashes between the two forces and no justifications for the rising death toll. Nour Al-Daim Abdel Hamid, one of the leaders of the village of Wad Al-Noura, revealed in a press conference that the death toll from the attack on the village had risen to 227 people, while the number of wounded reached 300. Following the massacre, an RSF spokesperson said that they were targeting ‘ISIS’, and falsely claimed that no children were killed, directly contradicting a UN report that stated that at least 35 children were killed in the massacre.
The RSF is not the only entity diverting the blame from itself. Passive language seems to be a trend when it comes to speaking about Sudan’s war in Western media. Civilians are said to be ‘killed’ or ‘raped’, with only vague headlines and no mention of the perpetrators. A news outlet named AP News that is based in New York put out a staggering headline following the massacre that reads: “Sudanese RSF paramilitaries clash with the army, leaving at least 100 people dead.”, falsely stating that the army was present during the massacre, and reporting the deaths as mere casualties in an unfortunate sequence of events. This is unacceptable, especially when survivors and witnesses in Wad Al-Noura village reported that the RSF was going door to door and killing unarmed, innocent civilians. It is a gross misrepresentation of the situation that only fuels the ‘both sides’ narrative and intentionally diverts the blame from the RSF. More impartial and harmful headlines emerged in the following days. Relief Web, also based in New York, wrote “At least 55 children reportedly killed and injured amid fighting in Wad al Noura, Sudan.” This headline also implies that the murders were mere casualties. In Sudan, there is no question about which side is committing the most violence against the people and attempting to dismantle the Sudanese state, however, the Western media often imposes its narratives to excuse war crimes and fulfill its agendas.
Sudan is also being betrayed by its neighbors. The African Union Commission chief wrote a statement condemning the massacre, however, the passive language used in the statement suggests otherwise. Faki said: “This horrific death toll is a grim reminder that in this senseless war, women and children bear the brunt of the wanton destruction perpetrated by the warring parties,” This language avoids blaming the RSF directly for the massacre, despite numerous reports by locals and international organizations, and also puts unfair blame on the Sudanese Armed Forces. The statement goes on to say; “Stressing the urgent need for perpetrators of such atrocities to be held accountable, Faki called on the two Sudanese warring parties to immediately return to the Jeddah ceasefire process…” Faki dishonorably uses the massacre as a bargaining chip to tell the world that the warring parties must go back to Jeddah for negotiations, which then serves to paint the SAF as the villain for refusing to continue the negotiations.
Passive language and headlines must stop, and the RSF must be directly blamed for their crimes against humanity. It is important to not only correctly label the war in Sudan but also to make sure that Western narratives are dismantled and the voice is given back to the people. This can be ensured by bringing the nuance that exists in Arabic journalism to English journalism and making sure that the Sudanese people are heard.