US Condemns Human Rights Violations, 'Horrific Violence' in Sudan

Smoke rises amid ongoing violence in Sudan - AFP/File
Smoke rises amid ongoing violence in Sudan - AFP/File
TT
20

US Condemns Human Rights Violations, 'Horrific Violence' in Sudan

Smoke rises amid ongoing violence in Sudan - AFP/File
Smoke rises amid ongoing violence in Sudan - AFP/File

The US on Thursday condemned "in the strongest terms" what it called human rights violations, abuses and "horrific violence" in Sudan during that country's two-month-old war, a State Department spokesperson said, Reuters reported.

The US is especially concerned about reports of ethnic violence committed by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias in West Darfur, spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.

Fighting throughout Sudan between the army and the RSF has displaced 2.2 million people and killed at least 1,000 people.

"The atrocities occurring today in West Darfur and other areas are an ominous reminder of the horrific events that led the United States to determine in 2004 that genocide had been committed in Darfur," Miller said.

He said the US specifically condemns the killing of West Darfur Governor Khamis Abbakar on Wednesday after he had accused the RSF and other forces of perpetrating genocide.

While the atrocities "are primarily attributable to the RSF and affiliated militia," the Sudanese Armed Forces "has failed to protect civilians and has reportedly stoked conflict by encouraging mobilization of tribes," Miller said.

The army and RSF, which together ousted autocrat Omar al-Bashir in 2019, began fighting in the heart of the capital Khartoum on April 15 after disagreeing over the integration of their troops under a new transition to democracy.



Sudan's RSF, Allied Groups to Sign Charter to Form Parallel Government, Two Signatories Say

Sudanese refugees wait their turn to get drinking water from a muddy pond in Gerbana, a village 22km from the Sudanese border, South Sudan, 13 February 2025 (issued on 15 February 2025), as water shortages and diseases resulting from contaminated water have become the community's main complaint. (EPA)
Sudanese refugees wait their turn to get drinking water from a muddy pond in Gerbana, a village 22km from the Sudanese border, South Sudan, 13 February 2025 (issued on 15 February 2025), as water shortages and diseases resulting from contaminated water have become the community's main complaint. (EPA)
TT
20

Sudan's RSF, Allied Groups to Sign Charter to Form Parallel Government, Two Signatories Say

Sudanese refugees wait their turn to get drinking water from a muddy pond in Gerbana, a village 22km from the Sudanese border, South Sudan, 13 February 2025 (issued on 15 February 2025), as water shortages and diseases resulting from contaminated water have become the community's main complaint. (EPA)
Sudanese refugees wait their turn to get drinking water from a muddy pond in Gerbana, a village 22km from the Sudanese border, South Sudan, 13 February 2025 (issued on 15 February 2025), as water shortages and diseases resulting from contaminated water have become the community's main complaint. (EPA)

Sudan's Rapid Support Forces will sign a charter with allied political and armed groups on Saturday evening to establish a "government of peace and unity" in territories it controls, signatories al-Hadi Idris and Ibrahim Mirghani told Reuters.

The RSF has seized most of the western Darfur region and swathes of the Kordofan region in an almost-two-year war, but is being pushed back from central Sudan by the Sudanese army, which has condemned the formation of a parallel government.

Such a government, which has already drawn an expression of concern from the United Nations, is not expected to receive widespread recognition. Those affiliated with the government say its formation will be announced from inside the country.

General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, head of the paramilitary that has been accused of widespread abuses including genocide, was hit with sanctions by the United States earlier this year.

The war, which erupted after disagreements between the RSF and the army over their integration during a transition towards democracy, has devastated the country, driving half the population into hunger.

According to Idris, among the signatories to the charter and foundational constitution is powerful rebel leader Abdelaziz al-Hilu who controls vast swathes of territory and troops in South Kordofan state, and who has long demanded that Sudan embrace secularism.

Talks that began earlier this week were hosted in Kenya, drawing condemnation from Sudan and domestic criticism of President William Ruto for plunging the country into a diplomatic melee.