Tabit, also spelled Thabit, is a town in

North Darfur North Darfur State ( Wilāyat Šamāl Dārfūr; ''Shamal Darfor'') is one of the wilayat or states of Sudan. It is one of the five states composing the Darfur region. It has an area of 296,420 km2 and an estimated population of approximat ...

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

. It has a population of 7,000 and lies thirty miles southwest of

Al-Fashir Al-Fashir or El Fasher () is the capital city of North Darfur, Sudan. It is a city in the Darfur region of southwestern Sudan, northeast of Nyala, Sudan. "Al-Fashir" (description) ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 2007, webpage: A historical ...

. Most of the inhabitants belong to the

Fur people The Fur ( Fur: ''fòòrà'', Arabic: فور ''Fūr'') are an ethnic group predominantly inhabiting Darfur, the western part of Sudan, where they are the largest ethnic group.Gettleman, Jeffrey, "Chaos in Darfur on rise as Arabs fight with Ara ...

. In 2011, the surrounding area suffered intense conflict. An investigation by

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...

(HRW) released in February 2015 said 221 were raped, which had also been reported days after the town was attacked but verification was difficult, by government soldiers in "a mass rape that could constitute crimes against humanity". Witnesses said three separate operations were carried out in 30 October to 1 November 2014. In addition to the rape of women and girls, they reported that property was looted, men arrested and residents beaten. The town had been controlled by rebel forces previously but HRW found no evidence that the rebel fighters were in or close to the town when it was attacked.

References

Populated places in North Darfur {{Sudan-geo-stub