PARIS: Extensive war crimes are being committed by both sides in the conflict that has been raging in Sudan since April, Amnesty International said on Thursday.
The Britain-based human rights group said in a report that the crimes committed by the warring parties, led by two feuding generals, included sexual violence against girls as young as 12 and the indiscriminate targeting of civilians.
Since April 15, regular army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan has been locked in a war with his former deputy, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
“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.
Burhan came to power, with Daglo as his number two, in an October 2021 coup that derailed a fragile transition to civilian rule after the military’s ouster of long-ruling autocrat Omar Al-Bashir in April 2019 following a popular uprising.
But the two men then fell out in a bitter feud.
The fighting — concentrated in Khartoum and the western region of Darfur — has killed more than 3,900 people, according to the NGO ACLED and displaced more than 3.3 million, according to the UN.
“Extensive war crimes are being committed in Sudan as the conflict... ravages the country,” Amnesty said, adding there were “mass civilian casualties in both deliberate and indiscriminate attacks by the warring parties.”
It said men, women and children have been caught in the crossfire as both sides launch frequent attacks in densely populated residential neighborhoods, often using explosive weapons with wide area effects.
Amnesty said scores of women and girls, some as young as 12, have been subjected to sexual violence, including rape, with some held for days in conditions of sexual slavery.
In most of the cases documented by Amnesty International, survivors said the perpetrators were fighters of the RSF or its Arab militia allies.
For its report, Amnesty said it had interviewed more than 180 people, primarily in eastern Chad where refugees from Darfur have fled, or remotely via secure calls.
The group said it had put its allegations to the army and the RSF, who had both responded “claiming adherence to international law and accusing the other side of violations.”
Extensive war crimes in Sudan’s ‘unimaginable horror’: Amnesty
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Extensive war crimes in Sudan’s ‘unimaginable horror’: Amnesty
- The group said it had put its allegations to the army and the RSF, who had both responded “claiming adherence to international law and accusing the other side of violations”
President Abbas hopes 2026 brings progress on Palestinian statehood
- Leader endorses Gaza committee, cites positive indications from US administration to resolving cause
RAMALLAH: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said on Thursday that Palestine is determined to continue its efforts with US President Donald Trump and other relevant partners.
He expressed hope that 2026 will witness progress toward resolving the Palestinian cause, citing positive indications from the US administration.
He was speaking during a ceremony marking his receipt of an honorary doctorate from the Arab American University in Ramallah.
Abbas said the state of Palestine has announced its support for the formation of the Palestinian Administrative Committee in the Gaza Strip during the transitional phase.
He expressed appreciation for the efforts of Trump and mediators Egypt, Qatar, and Turkiye, and for moving toward the implementation of the second phase of Trump’s plan.
Abbas reaffirmed the importance of linking the institutions of the PA in the West Bank and Gaza, stressing the need to avoid creating parallel administrative, legal, or security systems that would entrench division.
He outlined his political vision based on the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and return, and the establishment of an independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, living in peace and security with its neighbors.
The president said the Palestinian state would be democratic, based on equal citizenship, political pluralism, freedom of expression, the formation of political parties, the rule of law, good governance, human rights, integrity, and equality.
Abbas stressed that direct legislative and presidential elections are the foundation of democratic governance and the only path to the peaceful transfer of power under the rule of law, transparency, accountability, and the empowerment of women and youth.
He noted that work is underway to draft a temporary constitution and a political parties law in preparation for the upcoming elections.
Abbas affirmed that the Palestinian state remains committed to international law and the agreements and treaties signed with other states and international organizations.
The president reiterated that peaceful popular resistance, alongside political, diplomatic, and legal action, remains the strategic choice to end the occupation.
He said the Palestinian people continue to safeguard their presence, history, identity, and national memory despite immense challenges, adding that despite the catastrophe caused by the war in Gaza, they remain determined to rebuild the enclave and what has been destroyed across the West Bank.
Abbas also voiced confidence in Palestinian universities, saying they will not only transmit knowledge but also advance it through investment in scientific research and partnerships with the private sector and the state, emphasizing that science and technology are key drivers of national progress.
He stressed that it is time for the Palestinian people to write their own complete history, present their authentic narrative, and decisively refute false and distorted accounts that seek to misrepresent the reality and history of the Palestinian people.
