Sudan Army Torture People to Death- Rights Group Says

A Sudanese human rights organization has accused the country’s army and security forces of running “execution chambers” and torturing detainees to death.

The group, known as Emergency Lawyers, said it has recorded hundreds of arrests in the capital, Khartoum, since the army regained control of the city in March.

According to the group, many of those arrested have suffered serious abuses. In the “worst cases,” some detainees were later found dead, with clear signs of torture on their bodies. The Sudanese army has not commented on these allegations, despite being contacted by the BBC.

The accusations come as Sudan continues to be torn apart by a two-year civil war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The war has already killed tens of thousands of people and created one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.

Emergency Lawyers said the latest reports showed a “dangerous escalation in violations.” They allege that many civilians are being arrested at random and taken to overcrowded detention centers. Prisoners face different fates, some remain locked up in poor and inhumane conditions, others are put on trial without fair legal processes, and a few are released in very weak health. Some, however, are later discovered dead, allegedly after being tortured.

The use of torture is not new in Sudan. Under the long rule of former president Omar al-Bashir, torture was widely used as a tool of control. Now, in the ongoing war, both sides have been accused of serious human rights abuses.

The United Nations Independent Fact-Finding Mission reported earlier this year that both the army and the RSF were guilty of arbitrary arrests, torture, sexual violence, and other war crimes. The UN said both groups had carried out executions and targeted civilians.

The war has displaced 12 million people from their homes, and famine has already been declared in some areas. The health crisis has also worsened, with Doctors Without Borders recently warning that the conflict has fueled the country’s worst cholera outbreak in years. Nearly 100,000 cases and 2,470 deaths from cholera have been recorded in the past year.

Meanwhile, new atrocities are being reported in Darfur, one of the regions hardest hit by the conflict. At least 40 people were killed during an attack on a camp for displaced people in the western city of el-Fasher, according to aid groups working in the area.

The assault was blamed on the RSF, which has been fighting to seize control of Darfur from the army. Witnesses said some victims were shot inside their homes, while others were killed in the open. Satellite images later showed more than 40 RSF vehicles in the area, appearing to confirm reports of their involvement.

The Yale Humanitarian Research Lab said it was analyzing videos that allegedly showed RSF fighters shooting at civilians trying to crawl away, while using ethnic insults.

The Abu Shouk camp, where the killings occurred, is home to about 200,000 displaced people. It was first established more than 20 years ago for families fleeing violence carried out by the Janjaweed militia. The RSF is a successor to this militia and has been accused of ethnic cleansing in Darfur both in the past and during the current war. The United States has even sanctioned the RSF for alleged acts of genocide.

Local activists believe the RSF deliberately targeted civilians from the Zaghawa ethnic group, since Zaghawa fighters have been supporting the army in defending el-Fasher.

This is not the first time a camp has been attacked. In April, more than 100 people were killed when the RSF overran Zamzam camp, forcing thousands to flee once again.

Since the conflict erupted in April 2023, Sudan has been plunged into chaos. With tens of thousands dead, millions displaced, famine spreading, and cholera killing thousands more, aid workers warn that the suffering of ordinary Sudanese people is only getting worse as the war drags on.

Source: BBC