Human Rights Watch charged on Thursday that both sides in the over 16-month-long battle in Sudan had committed war crimes, such as the mutilation of dead bodies, torture, and summary executions.
Under the leadership of de facto ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan’s army has been engaged in a destructive conflict with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of people and the displacement of millions.
The New York-based rights organization claimed that after analyzing photos from social media, it had found evidence of at least 40 mass murders as well as the abuse and torture of 18 prisoners.
Nine out of the 20 recordings that were examined, according to the report, revealed the dismemberment of at least eight deceased bodies, the most of whom were dressed in military uniforms, but some were not.
“In all the incidents, detainees appear to be unarmed, posing no threat to their captors, and in several they are restrained,” Human Rights Watch said.
“Forces from Sudan’s warring parties feel so immune to punishment that they have repeatedly filmed themselves executing, torturing, and dehumanising detainees, and mutilating bodies,” said Mohamed Osman, HRW’s Sudan researcher.
“These crimes should be investigated as war crimes and those responsible, including commanders of these forces, should be held to account,” he added.
“Privately and publicly order an immediate halt to these abuses and carry out effective investigations,” said the rights organization of the warring parties.
Furthermore, it stated that the mistreatment “constitutes war crimes” and should be the focus of international inquiries, including one by the UN fact-finding mission in Sudan.
In an effort to continue resolving the issue in the poor nation, UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed arrived in the coastal city of Port Sudan at the same time as the release of the HRW report.
According to US Sudan envoy Tom Perriello, since the conflict broke out last year, tens of thousands of people have died, with some estimates reaching as high as 150,000.
More than 10 million people have been displaced by the fighting, which has pushed parts of the country into famine.
