Sudan: Army decries ethnic targeting of civilian killings

Untitled_Artwork 24

Image by: Alfaseyera Ltd

The Sudanese army on January 14th denounced what it referred to as “individual violations” in Sudan’s El Gezira in recent days, following accusations by rights groups of ethnically-targeted attacks on civilians from the army and its allies, The New Arab and agencies reported. 

The attacks primarily targeted individuals from western Sudan residing in the central state, due to suspicions they collaborated with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been engaged in a nearly two-year civil war with the army.

Earlier that week, the Sudanese army, along with allied forces, reclaimed control of the state capital Wad Madani from the RSF, signalling a potential turning point in the destructive conflict.

A human rights organisation called Emergency Lawyers reported that 13 people were killed in a farming settlement called Kambo Tayba after the army advanced through the area.

The group stated that these attacks followed hate speech associating residents with the RSF. It also highlighted further instances of civilians being rounded up, tortured, or executed in recent days.

READ:  Multinational armed forces exercises held in Turkey

“The Armed Forces condemn the individual violations that have recently occurred in some areas of El Gezira following the cleansing of Wad Madani, and at the same time affirms its keenness to hold accountable anyone involved in any violations that affect any person in the Kanabi (settlements for farmers from western Sudan) and villages,” the army said on January 14th.

El Gezira had previously endured a year-long period of looting and violence against civilians carried out by RSF fighters, which forced hundreds of thousands of residents to flee. Some locals claimed that young men from the long-marginalised Kanabi had taken part in the RSF raids.

In a video shared on social media, which is unverified by Reuters, a civilian is seen pleading with soldiers who accuse him of being an RSF member. One soldier then forces the man against a brick wall and shoots him multiple times.

READ:  South Sudan unblocks Facebook and TikTok

In another video, a young man is pushed off a bridge by a group of men, one of whom is wearing a jacket with the insignia of the al-Baraa ibn Malik battalion, an Islamist militia allied with the army. Reuters identified the location as Hantoob Bridge in Wad Madani but could not verify the date.

READ: UN raises concerns over retaliatory attacks of Sudan civilians

READ: Sudan: People rejoice as army take over from RSF

“The biggest loser in this war are innocent, defenceless civilians, who are daily paying a high price as a result of the continued conflict,” said the Sudanese Doctors Union in a statement. “… while their circumstances prevent them from leaving these areas.”

On January 14th, the US determined that Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had “committed genocide” and enforced sanctions on the paramilitary group’s leader.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the conclusion was based on evidence of the RSF’s “systematic” killing of men and boys, as well as the targeted-nature surrounding the rape of women and girls from specific ethnic groups.

READ:  Sudan: Army and RSF point fingers after refinery fire

“The United States is committed to holding accountable those responsible,” Blinken said, as he announced sanctions against RSF leader Mohammad Hamdan Daglo, known as Hemedti, for his “role in systematic atrocities committed against the Sudanese people.”

Daglo was designated for his involvement in “gross violations of human rights in Darfur, namely the mass rape of civilians by RSF soldiers under his control,” Blinken said, adding that Daglo and his family members are now not eligible to enter the US.

The United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, adopted after World War Two, defines genocide as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.”

The New Arab via agencies, Reuters

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

[mc4wp_form id="206"]