Sudanese Army Denies Link to Disembowelment Video

Sudanese drink from water extracted from an underground well in eastern Sudan. (AFP)
Sudanese drink from water extracted from an underground well in eastern Sudan. (AFP)
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Sudanese Army Denies Link to Disembowelment Video

Sudanese drink from water extracted from an underground well in eastern Sudan. (AFP)
Sudanese drink from water extracted from an underground well in eastern Sudan. (AFP)

The Sudanese army has distanced itself from a widely circulated disturbing video showing two people in military clothing disemboweling another person.

The army rejected any link between its forces and the individuals shown in the video, who were said to be associated with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Nabil Abdullah, the army’s official spokesperson, said media affiliated with the RSF “terrorist militia” tried to blame the military for the crime.

The army clarified that the people in the video were not part of their forces and weren’t wearing military uniforms.

The spokesperson said this was not the first time the RSF and its allies have attempted to fabricate such lies.

In a statement, the army reaffirmed its commitment to respecting international humanitarian laws and the rules of war.

Last Sunday, a video circulated on Sudanese social media purportedly showing individuals dressed in Sudanese military fatigues disemboweling an alleged RSF member. The victim was killed and his body desecrated.

RSF commander Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo condemned the “horrific” video, rejecting such barbaric acts targeting innocents based on their identity and tribe. He assured that his forces would not engage in such behavior and would uphold international humanitarian laws and the Geneva conventions.

Several months ago, the army pledged to investigate an incident involving beheadings allegedly carried out by some of its members against three RSF members. The results of the probe are still pending.



Relatives of Bashar Assad Arrested as They Tried to Fly Out of Lebanon, Officials Say

A torn poster of Syria's ousted President Bashar al-Assad hangs near the flag adopted by the new Syrian rulers, in Daraa, Syria, December 27, 2024. (Reuters)
A torn poster of Syria's ousted President Bashar al-Assad hangs near the flag adopted by the new Syrian rulers, in Daraa, Syria, December 27, 2024. (Reuters)
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Relatives of Bashar Assad Arrested as They Tried to Fly Out of Lebanon, Officials Say

A torn poster of Syria's ousted President Bashar al-Assad hangs near the flag adopted by the new Syrian rulers, in Daraa, Syria, December 27, 2024. (Reuters)
A torn poster of Syria's ousted President Bashar al-Assad hangs near the flag adopted by the new Syrian rulers, in Daraa, Syria, December 27, 2024. (Reuters)

The wife and daughter of one of deposed Syrian president Bashar al-Assad ’s cousins were arrested Friday at the Beirut airport, where they attempted to fly out with allegedly forged passports, Lebanese judicial and security officials said. Assad’s uncle departed the day before.

Rasha Khazem, the wife of Duraid Assad — the son of former Syrian Vice President Rifaat Assad, the uncle of Bashar Assad — and their daughter, Shams, were smuggled illegally into Lebanon and were trying to fly to Egypt when they were arrested, according to five Lebanese officials familiar with the case.

They were being detained by Lebanese General Security. Rifaat had flown out the day before on his real passport and was not stopped, the officials said.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case publicly.

Swiss federal prosecutors in March indicted Rifaat on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for allegedly ordering murder and torture more than four decades ago.

Rifaat Assad, the brother of Bashar Assad's father Hafez Assad, Syria's former ruler, led the artillery unit that shelled the city of Hama and killed thousands, earning him the nickname the “Butcher of Hama.”

Earlier this year, Rifaat Assad was indicted in Switzerland for war crimes and crimes against humanity in connection with Hama.

Tens of thousands of Syrians are believed to have entered Lebanon illegally on the night of Assad’s fall earlier this month, when insurgent forces entered Damascus.

The Lebanese security and judicial officials said that more than 20 members of the former Syrian Army’s notorious 4th Division, military intelligence officers and others affiliated with Assad’s security forces were arrested earlier in Lebanon. Some of them were arrested when they attempted to sell their weapons.

Lebanon’s public prosecution office also received an Interpol notice requesting the arrest of Jamil al-Hassan, the former director of Syrian intelligence under Assad. Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati previously told Reuters that Lebanon would cooperate with the Interpol request to arrest al-Hassan.