Mass grave in Sudan’s Darfur reveals 87 civilian bodies: UN reports

According to the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), at least 87 civilians from Sudan were interred in a mass grave in the state of West Darfur on Thursday, Anadolu Ajansi reported.

According to the OHCHR, the Rapid Support Forces ordered the mass grave burial of at least 87 ethnic Masalit and other people who were allegedly killed last month by their militia allies and the Rapid Support Forces outside the region’s capital, El-Geneina.

According to sources cited by the UN rights office, 37 bodies were interred on June 20 in a mass grave that was one meter deep and located in the Al-Turab Al Ahmar neighborhood in western El-Geneina.

The OHCHR revealed that another 50 bodies were buried at the same site on 21 June, including seven women and seven children.

In responses, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has condemned the incident, and said, “I am further appalled by the callous and disrespectful way the dead, along with their families and communities, were treated.”

“There must be a prompt, thorough and independent investigation into the killings, and those responsible must be held to account,” he added.

Sudan has seen bloody clashes between the army and the RSF since April, leaving nearly 3,000 civilians killed and thousands more injured, while multiple attempts by mediators for ceasefire have failed.