Darfur's new generation, once full of promise, now suffers the 'fire of war'

In a region with a history of genocide, weeks of intense fighting between rival military factions in South Darfur have left hundreds dead and pushed thousands more people to flee.

The news he feared arrived a few minutes before midnight.

For weeks , Bahaadin Adam had no news from his family members. stuck in the fighting that has rocked Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state and Sudan's second largest city. Mr. Adam, who had fled weeks earlier to neighboring South Sudan, remained nervous, constantly checking his phone for updates.

Finally, while he was getting ready for bed, he received a message from his brother. Most of Nyala's family managed to escape, but her two younger sisters — Meethaaq, 24, and Hana, 10 — were killed by artillery fire.

“I was broken into pieces,” Mr. Adam said during a recent interview in the town of Renk in South Sudan.

Five months after the start of a devastating war in Sudan between rival military forces, the western region of Darfur has quickly become one of the hardest hit in the country. The population of Darfur has already suffered genocidal violence over the past two decades, which has left up to 300,000 dead.

Today, Darfur, which was moving towards relative stability, is torn by a national war between the Sudanese army and the rapid support paramilitary forces. The Rapid Support Forces and their allies, mainly Arab militias, have taken control of large parts of Darfur, while the regular army operates mainly from garrisons in major towns, residents and observers said.

ImageBahaadin Adam in a transit camp in Renk after fleeing the fighting in Darfur. Most of her family fled Nyala, Sudan's second largest city, but two sisters were killed by artillery fire.Credit...Joao Silva/The New York Times

As both sides fight for supremacy, civilians are increasingly caught in the crossfire, especially in recent weeks. More than 40 people were killed late last month while hiding under a bridge in Nyala, and at least 40 people died in air raids on the town this month, activists and the medical staff. The discovery of mass graves, including more than a dozen last week by the United Nations, has raised fears of a resurgence of ethnically motivated attacks in Darfur - and prompted the International Criminal Court to open a new investigation into accusations of crimes of war and crimes against humanity in the region.

The frantic and sometimes competing diplomatic efforts to end the conflict – by the United Nations, African countries , Saudi Arabia and the United States – came to nothing.

Last week, the United Nations special envoy to Sudan, Volker Perthes, resigned months after Sudanese officials declared him unwanted in the country. In his farewell address to the UN Security Council, Mr Perthes warned that the conflict “could turn into a full-scale civil war”. Army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan will address the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week.

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