Sudan Orders Prosecution of RSF for East Al Jazirah Abuses

Lt Gen Ibrahim Jabir

October 27, 2024 (PORT SUDAN) – Sudanese authorities on Sunday ordered the attorney general to investigate alleged war crimes committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in East Al Jazirah and prosecute those responsible.

The directive from Ibrahim Jabir, a member of Sudan’s Sovereign Council and assistant army commander, comes after the RSF launched retaliatory attacks in the region following the defection of a top commander to the army.

The Sovereign Council called for “monitoring violations committed by the rebel militia against unarmed civilians in East Al Jazirah and filing cases against perpetrators in national and international courts.”

Attorney General Mohamed Issa Tayfour said the public prosecution was monitoring all violations and would “prosecute all those who commit crimes against the Sudanese people, bringing them to fair trials.”

The “Al Jazirah Conference,” a civil society group, reported that the RSF committed abuses in six towns and 58 villages, including killings, rape, kidnappings, and ethnic cleansing. It noted that curfews and internet outages hampered monitoring.

Tayfour briefed Jabir on the progress of investigations, highlighting advances in arresting suspects and referring cases to court. They also discussed extraditing suspects who fled the country and designating new groups as “terrorists” under a UN Security Council resolution.

The RSF launched the attacks in East Al Jazirah after its commander in the state, Abu Aqla Kikl, defected to the army on Oct. 21.