US sanctions Sudan’s army chief Burhan over civilian deaths

The US government has imposed sanctions on Sudan’s army chief and de facto president, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the Treasury Department said.

He is leading one of the two sides in a 21-month civil war that has killed thousands, displaced more than 12 million and pushed the country to the brink of famine.

In a brief statement, the US accused General Burhan of “destabilizing Sudan and undermining the goal of democratic transition”.

The announcement follows reports of civilian killings in the central city of Wad Madani in recent days, although this was not mentioned in the statement.

Last week, the US also imposed sanctions on Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the head of a paramilitary group fighting the army.

The US accused Dagalo’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of committing genocide during the conflict.

Announcing sanctions on Burhan on Thursday, Washington said forces under his command had “carried out deadly attacks on civilians”, including targeting “schools, markets and hospitals”.

The US also alleges that the military is “responsible for the routine and deliberate rejection of humanitarian aid, using food shortages as a tactic of war”.

During the first year of the conflict, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the military had committed war crimes.

Earlier, General Burhan had ordered an investigation into allegations that his troops committed mass atrocities after retaking the Gezira state capital from their paramilitary rivals.

His move came after widespread concerns that civilians, including foreign nationals, were killed following the capture of Wad Madani.

Neighboring South Sudan said on Wednesday it had summoned Sudan’s ambassador in protest at “the loss of lives of our innocent citizens.”

Wad Madani, which is 87 miles (140 km) south of the capital Khartoum, fell to the RSF about a year ago. On Saturday, the army regained control over it.

The city serves as a strategic crossroads, connecting several states through major supply highways. It is also the nearest major city to Khartoum.

A Sudanese rights group accused the army of instigating violence and killing at least 13 people in Camp Taiba, a village about 20 km away.

Clementine Nqueta-Salami, the UN humanitarian chief in Sudan, said she was deeply concerned about reports of retaliatory attacks against civilians in Gezira “on the basis of perceived affiliation or ethnicity”.

Tom Perriello, the US special envoy to Sudan, called the reports “appalling” and urged the military and allied groups to investigate and hold those responsible accountable.

General Burhan said he has constituted a committee to investigate the alleged killings at Camp Taiba and asked it to submit a report within a week.

He did not comment on the concerns raised by South Sudan, and whether the investigation would focus on alleged atrocities elsewhere in Gezira.

South Sudan’s Foreign Ministry said it had received a “comprehensive report” from its embassy in Sudan detailing “the unfortunate events that resulted in the loss of lives of our innocent civilians, creating a non-combatant situation.” Keep”.

The military has previously accused the RSF of recruiting South Sudanese as “mercenaries” to fight on its side.

Social media videos of various incidents have been widely shared online, one of which shows a man in civilian clothes being thrown over a bridge and then shot by a group of men.

BBC Verify has confirmed that the video was filmed on the Hantoub bridge over the Blue Nile.

We matched key elements in the video, including the painting on the railings and railings, as seen in the video, from an earlier video filmed on the bridge.

One of the men involved in the incident, and holding a Sudanese flag, is wearing clothing bearing the logo used by the al-Bara bin Malik Brigade, which is fighting alongside Sudanese forces in Khartoum and neighboring states.

Two other videos filmed elsewhere showed the bodies of at least 30 men in civilian clothes lying on the ground next to a wall.

BBC Verify, through matching objects seen in the video with satellite imagery, has established that the video was filmed at a location northwest of Wad Madani, just meters from where the army fired on RSF fighters. There was an ambush.

It is unclear how the people died and whether they were killed before the bodies were collected there.

It is also not possible to identify them or whether they were affiliated with any fighting group or not, as it is common for armed combatants not to wear uniforms.

Videos of the ambush, heavy firing and its aftermath are also being circulated.

Sudanese armed forces on Tuesday condemned “individual violations” in parts of Gezira state, and promised that those responsible would be held accountable.

The RSF was accused of carrying out retaliatory attacks in Gezira following the defection of its commander Abu Aqla Kaikal in October last year.

Kaikal was heavily involved in the operation that led the Army to retake control of Wad Madani.

Additional reporting by Yusuf Abdullahi, BBC Monitoring.