Sudan RSF accused of killing West Darfur Governor

Smoke rises during clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum, Sudan on April 19, 2023 [Ömer Erdem/Anadolu Agency]

Officials in Sudan say the Governor of the West Darfur region has been killed by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), local media reports.

According to the report, only hours earlier, Khamis Abbakar had accused both the RSF and allied militias of committing genocide against people from the Masalit ethnic group.

Mr Abbakar, who was killed in El Geneina, had warned that the attacks had spread across the city and called for international intervention.

The RSF has not commented on the allegation.

The region has seen periods of conflict since the early 2000s, when millions were displaced and hundreds of thousands killed after Arab militias were deployed to fight non-Arab rebels.

READ: Sudan: 2.2m people displaced by conflict, says UN

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