The Guardian published on 15 June 2023 an article titled "Sudan: Paramilitary Forces Blamed for Assassination of West Darfur Governor" by Zeinab Mohammed Salih and Jason Burke.
UN sources announced that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and nomadic Arab militias brutally killed the governor of West Darfur, Khamis Abdallah Abbakar, who was also a leader of the sedentary Masalit ethnic group. The RSF denied the charge. The conflict in Darfur that began 20 years ago was largely between sedentary African farmers, including the Masalit, and nomadic Arab ethnic groups.
The New York Times published on 15 June 2023 an article titled "Brutal Killing of Governor Heralds New Round of Violence in Darfur" by Declan Walsh.
The article suggests this incident may push the region into a new ethnic civil war. The head of the International Rescue Committee warned that Sudan is on course to become the next Syria.
Refworld posted in 2015 a background piece titled "Sudan: Treatment of the Masalit Ethnic Group in Darfur by Government Authorities and Armed Militias, Including Incidents of Violence" that provides useful information on the Masalit ethnic group.
