Photo: AFP

Activists claim that Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) murdered at least 124 individuals in a village located in El Gezira State on Friday, marking one of the most severe incidents in an 18-month conflict and the largest in a series of attacks within the state. This violence followed the surrender of high-ranking RSF officer Abuagla Keikal to the army last Sunday. Pro-democracy activists allege that the RSF has been conducting revenge attacks in the farming state where Keikal hails from, resulting in the deaths and detentions of civilians and the displacement of thousands. Gezira has already endured a months-long rampage where residents reported to Reuters that the RSF looted homes, killed scores of civilians, and displaced hundreds of thousands.

Al Sireha village, situated in the northern part of the state, bore the brunt of the recent violence when at least 124 people were killed and 100 injured during an RSF raid, according to the Wad Madani Resistance Committee, a pro-democracy group, which reported this on Saturday. In a statement issued on Friday, the RSF accused the army of arming civilians in Gezira and utilizing forces under Keikal's command, which prompted their attacks. Neither the army nor the RSF responded to requests for comment.

The RSF has taken control of significant parts of Sudan amidst a conflict with the army, which the United Nations describes as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. This war has displaced over 11 million people, pushed parts of the country into extreme hunger or famine, and involved foreign powers providing material support to both sides. It commenced in April 2023 when tensions between the RSF and the army, who had previously shared power, escalated into open conflict during a time when Sudan was supposed to transition to civilian rule following a 2021 coup.

The committee stated, "The RSF militia is raiding east, west, and central Gezira, committing extensive massacres in one village after another." Social media images shared by the committee and others purportedly showed dozens of bodies wrapped for burial and mass graves being dug. The Sudanese Doctors Union called for safe passages, stating, "The people of Gezira are facing genocide by the Rapid Support Forces, making it impossible to treat the injured or even evacuate them for treatment. Those who have left on foot have died or are faced with death."

A video circulated on social media purported to show an RSF soldier in Sireha filming troops lining up men of all ages at gunpoint, using racial epithets, and forcing them to bleat like goats. Another video, shared by the resistance committee, depicted an RSF soldier pulling an elderly man to his feet by his beard. Reuters could not immediately verify any of the videos. Sudan's Combating Violence Against Women Unit reported receiving accounts of RSF soldiers raping women in Gezira villages as a tactic to humiliate men and drive people out of the area.

Keikal's defection coincided with the army's renewed efforts to regain territory across the country. Sudanese army general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan posted on X late on Friday, asserting that as more civilian blood was spilled, the Sudanese people's determination to resist the RSF grew stronger. However, his comments were met with criticism, as the army had not protected civilians in Gezira or elsewhere in the country.

The RSF is accused by the United States and others of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing, particularly in West Darfur. The army is also accused of war crimes due to extensive airstrike campaigns that have frequently resulted in high civilian death tolls but have done little to push the RSF back. The US Special Envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello, stated on X, "We are monitoring the latest, shocking RSF attacks on civilians in Gezira. The killings and sexual violence are reprehensible," adding that both the RSF and the army were failing to protect civilians.

Source link:   https://www.khaleejtimes.com