CSW is concerned by a rise in ethnically motivated attacks on civilians following the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) takeover of Wad Madani, the capital of Sudan’s Gezira State.
It was initially hoped that the SAF takeover would bring some reprieve to civilians who had suffered over a year of severe human rights violations at the hands of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who captured the city in December 2023. However, the SAF and its affiliated extremist militias, in particular the Al Bra’a Ibn Malik Brigade, have been committing similar violations.
Ethnically motivated attacks against the Kanabi community and South Sudanese nationals have resulted in at least 21 deaths and the forced displacement of thousands. Videos have emerged showing the extrajudicial killing of suspected RSF members and civilians who were allegedly affiliated with them, including one in which an individual is thrown into the Nile and then shot. Other videos depict torture, inhuman and degrading treatment, including of women.
CSW sources report that these attacks have been incited by Islamist extremist preachers who have encouraged the SAF to leave no captives alive.
CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: ‘CSW is appalled by the horrific treatment civilians in Wad Madani have endured since the Sudan Armed Forces recaptured the city last week. As the party to this conflict that occupies Sudan’s seat in international arenas, the SAF is under a greater obligation to protect and respect the human dignity of all civilians, yet it continues to disregard this responsibility. We call on other nations to follow the example of the United States government in sanctioning the head of the SAF, General Abdel Fattah al Burhan, and to press all parties to the conflict to protect civilians in accordance with their obligations under international law and the Jeddah Agreements.’
Note to Editors:
- Kanabi refers to camps predominantly occupied by people from Darfur, the Nuba Mountains and South Sudan.
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