The Governor of the Darfur Region, Minni Arko Minnawi, said that the anniversary of the El Fasher massacre, along with the massacres in El Geneina and Zamzam, was “a memory that never dies and one that never disappears from the human conscience.”
In a post on his Facebook page titled “October of Massacre: El Fasher, a Memory That Never Dies,” Minnawi said October brought back memories of wounded El Fasher and all the pain inflicted by massacres targeting innocent civilians. Such crimes, he said, must never be erased from the collective memory of peoples.
Minnawi called for commemorating the anniversary, amplifying the voices of the victims, and upholding their right to justice so that the tragedy would not be reduced to mere statistics.
He stressed that El Fasher had been besieged in full view of the international community, while the rebel militia had rejected international and humanitarian calls and demands, including UN Security Council Resolution 2736. Violations against innocent people continued, he said, including attacks on imams and traditional community leaders inside a mosque; the tragedy at Dar Arqam, a shelter for children and women; the attack on the Saudi Hospital; and the killing of civilians, including children and women, as they fled El Fasher toward Tawila.
He noted that Sudan had endured grave tragedies between 2003 and 2006, followed by renewed cycles of killing from 2013 to 2022 amid international inaction, perpetrated by the same rebel militia. He stressed that this pattern must not be allowed to recur and that forgetfulness must not be allowed to swallow up the victims’ rights.
Minnawi said: “The people of Darfur have long shown tolerance in the face of these crimes, but this time must be different. There must be no impunity, and there must be no silence in the face of genocide.”
He continued: “El Fasher is not alone. El Geneina is not alone. Zamzam is not alone. They are Sudan’s wounds and its memory. Memory is a right, and justice is a duty. We will not forget, we will not remain silent, and we will not allow this tragedy to become a memory without accountability.”
