Sudan's 'unimaginable horror': Amnesty exposes extensive war crimes
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Amnesty International warns that Sudan is witnessing extensive war crimes as the conflict continues to devastate the nation.
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Sudanese refugees from the Tandelti area fill containers and drink from a water tank in Koufroun, Chad, near Echbara, on April 30, 2023 (AFP)
In a new report, Amnesty International warned that extensive war crimes are being perpetrated by both sides involved in the conflict in Sudan, which has been ongoing since April.
The warring parties are led by two feuding generals, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the regular army chief, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The report revealed that these crimes include sexual violence against girls as young as 12 and the indiscriminate targeting of civilians.
"Civilians throughout Sudan are suffering unimaginable horror every single day as the Rapid Support Forces and Sudanese Armed Forces recklessly vie for control of territory," said Amnesty Secretary General Agnes Callamard.
"The RSF and SAF, as well as their affiliated armed groups, must end their targeting of civilians and guarantee safe passage for those seeking safety," she added.
Amnesty International further reported that Sudan is witnessing extensive war crimes as the conflict continues to devastate the nation. The human rights group stated that both sides are causing massive civilian casualties through deliberate and indiscriminate attacks.
In further detail, the report revealed that during the conflict, men, women, and children in Sudan have become innocent victims of frequent attacks in densely populated residential areas, where both sides employ explosive weapons with wide area effects.
Disturbingly, scores of women and girls, some as young as 12, have suffered from sexual violence, including rape, and have been held in conditions of sexual slavery, with the majority of perpetrators identified as fighters from the RSF or its militia allies.
Amnesty conducted interviews with over 180 people, primarily in eastern Chad, where refugees from Darfur have sought safety, and also through secure calls. The group confronted the army and the RSF with their findings, and both sides responded by claiming adherence to international law while accusing the other party of violations.
On its account, the UN said, on Wednesday, that conflict-torn Sudan is facing an impending famine as food supplies are obstructed and millions are forced to be displaced.
Four million displaced
The latest data from the International Organization for Migration reveals that over three million people have been internally displaced.
Nearly a million are recorded to have fled across Sudan's borders.
IOM data also reveal that an estimated two million have fled Khartoum alone, which accounts for 40 percent of the population prior to the conflict.
The country has been plagued by turmoil since 2019 after former President Omar Al-Bashir was deposed.
The RSF, which has positioned itself as the savior of democracy, has repeatedly accused the army of trying to reinstate the deposed leader.
Heavy fighting broke out in mid-April as a result of a power struggle between Al-Burhan and Dagalo.
Read next: Sudan: A borderless conflict
