Unknown Militias… New Human Rights Demands for International Investigation into War Crimes in Sudan

A group of Sudanese human rights and professional organizations have accused armed groups in Sudan of committing atrocities that could be prosecuted as war crimes and crimes against humanity, especially certain extremist groups in the state of Darfur, western Sudan, which are engaged in genocide and ethnic cleansing in the country’s largest state.

In a request addressed to the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, the coalition called for an investigation by the International Criminal Court.

Human Rights and International Accusations

According to “Voice of America,” the armed groups in Sudan are accused by more than 30 human rights organizations and professional entities of committing human rights violations against civilians in the Darfur region of Sudan and other areas. The human rights organizations, in a joint statement, called for an immediate investigation into the alleged violations and for the matter to be referred to the International Criminal Court through the United Nations Security Council.

Nevissa Hagar, Vice President of the Lawyers’ Union, said that her group has documented a series of violations and attacks, including mass killings, ethnic cleansing, and forced displacement, which she said amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

She added that considering the current paralysis of the judicial system in Sudan due to the ongoing war, the international community must take the necessary measures to bring the perpetrators to a legal court.

Hagar said that aerial bombardments are ongoing on civilian buildings, civilians are being forcibly displaced from their homes, and women are systematically raped. All of these atrocities should be considered war crimes.

She added, “The motivation behind the submitted request is to assist the victims and prevent the alleged perpetrators from continuing to escape punishment.”

War Crimes

The British newspaper “The Guardian” reported that the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, announced on July 13th a new investigation into allegations of war crimes in the context of the war in Sudan, especially in the city of Genena in West Darfur state.

It noted that there are serious violations currently taking place against all treaties and agreements calling for the protection of civilians. The Sudanese lawyer Abdul Basit El Haj criticized the Sudanese Armed Forces for failing to protect civilians in Genena and other areas in Sudan.

El Haj said that some extremist militias are attacking hospitals, occupying them, and targeting doctors in Khartoum, committing genocide and ethnic cleansing against non-Arab groups, specifically the Masalit ethnic group in West Darfur state.

He continued, “They are occupying civilian homes, hospitals, schools, and universities, destroying all these buildings… According to the definition of war crimes, these are war crimes or crimes against humanity.”

The Rapid Support Forces denied some of the accusations made against them, claiming that some of these militias had stolen their uniforms and are attempting to attribute war crimes charges to the forces, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation “BBC.”

It is worth noting that Darfur state is controlled by militias that were formed by the former Sudanese president, affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood group, Omar Al-Bashir, to eliminate non-Arab minorities.

The war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces erupted on April 15 last year, since then the conflict has forced about 3.5 million people to flee their homes, including 844,000 who went to neighboring countries in search of safety, according to the United Nations.