Amnesty International has reported that extensive war crimes are being committed in Sudan as the conflict between the Rapid Support Forces and Sudanese Armed Forces continues to ravage the country.
The report, Death Came To Our Home’: War Crimes and Civilian Suffering In Sudan, documents mass civilian casualties in both deliberate and indiscriminate attacks by the warring parties.
The Amnesty investigation details sexual violence against women and girls, targeted attacks on civilian infrastructure such as hospitals and churches, and extensive looting.
“Death came to our home…”
— Amnesty EU (@AmnestyEU) August 3, 2023
As conflict rages in #Sudan, civilians are being killed in both deliberate & indiscriminate attacks. Nowhere is safe, & #EU support is needed more than ever.
Read @Amnesty’s new report documenting civilian suffering & war crimeshttps://t.co/oHAxnsv9ZU pic.twitter.com/ZJV4sjCIMS
Both the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo and his former ally in the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), General Abdel Fattah Burhan, are accused of having committed terrible crimes.
But Amnesty first highlights the RSF as the principal perpetrator of most of the atrocities it has documented.
According to Donatella Rovera, one of the authors of the report, "These paramilitary groups have committed a very large percentage of the abuses. They [RSF] are not the only perpetrator. But according to what we've been able to document until now, they are the main perpetrator."
The rights group also stressed it has documented crimes committed by the military, led by General Burhan.
The SAF and the RSF have been fighting for control of Sudan since 15 April 2023, with no sign of any resolution.
Deliberate killings of civilians, on both sides
In an interview with RFI, Rovera detailed that civilians were deliberately killed, along with many others trapped in the fighting.
"Abducted women and girls are subjected to all kinds of sexual violence, including girls as young as 12 years old," she told RFI.
"Looting and destruction of infrastructure worsens the situation for the civilian population, knowing that basic foodstuffs – food, medicines, as well as humanitarian aid – in the regions which are the subject of fighting [can't be obtained]."
As a result, the civilian population finds itself unable to get what it needs for daily survival.
Serious violations constitute war crimes, for which individual soldiers and commanders can be held criminally responsible.
As eastern #Chad is grappling with an influx of people fleeing war-torn #Sudan, the west faces a worsening crisis in Lake province.
— UN Humanitarian (@UNOCHA) August 4, 2023
Increasing violence by non-state armed groups is exacerbating humanitarian needs and impeding access for aid delivery: https://t.co/IWDeHYPWDZ pic.twitter.com/dFINtAw3xZ
Ethnic rivalry and sexual exploitation
The report is based on research carried out between 15 April and 26 July 2023, with most of the interviews conducted between 23 and 29 June 2023, in refugee camps in eastern Chad, where refugees from West Darfur are sheltering.
Amnesty International interviewed some 181 people for this research, including 59 survivors and other witnesses to human rights violations.
Tensions particularly spiked in the capital, Khartoum, and in West Darfur, where many ethnic Masalit people were forced to flee to eastern Chad.
People who fled El Geneina told Amnesty International that the town had been attacked by heavily armed Arab militias, supported by RSF fighters.
In one family, five brothers were reportedly shot dead in their home.
Scores of women and girls have alleged they have been subjected to sexual violence, including being held for days in conditions of sexual slavery.
“Urgent steps must be taken to ensure justice and reparations for victims and survivors.” @AgnesCallamard pic.twitter.com/uEi9qQhu8q
— Amnesty EU (@AmnestyEU) August 3, 2023
Amnesty International is now calling on the UN Security Council to extend the arms embargo that currently applies to Darfur to the whole of Sudan, and ensure it is enforced.
It's also calling the European Union to host refugees.
The NGO also said that "the international community should significantly increase humanitarian support for Sudan, and neighbouring countries must ensure their borders are open to civilians seeking safety."
