Sudanese Government Forces Accused of War Crimes

A new report by Amnesty International has accused government forces in Sudan of committing renewed war crimes in the Darfur region.

According to Amnesty government forces and allied militia are responsible for the complete or partial destruction of at least 45 villages between July 2018 and February 2019. Amnesty said it was able to confirm the findings using satellite evidence and testimonies.

Unlawful killings, acts of sexual violence, looting and forced displacement have also been alleged.

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has been specifically named as a perpetrator of the alleged crimes in the report. The RSF has been in the spotlight during the past week following an incident in which more than 100 protestors are alleged to have been killed in the country’s capital, Khartoum. 

Based on the findings of the report Amnesty has called for the UN African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) to continue its work in the region, warning that “A decision to close UNAMID would recklessly and needlessly place tens of thousands of lives at risk by removing their only safeguard against the government’s scorched earth campaign.”

The warning comes after the UN and AU have reduced the number of peacekeepers in the region and ahead of a vote on whether to close the UNAMID mission on June 27. Sudan’s ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) has called for unmanned UNAMID bases to be handed to the RSF, something Amnesty advises must be resisted.

“If the UN Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council authorize UNAMID’s closure, it would effectively give the RSF control over civilian areas. Formed from the former “Janjaweed” militia, the RSF are responsible for crimes against humanity in Darfur’s Jebel Marra region as well as the ongoing bloody crackdown on protesters in Khartoum since 3 June,” Amnesty stated.

Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General of Amnesty International, has called for the withdrawal of the RSF from any policing and law enforcement operations and their confinement to the barracks.