UN 'alarmed' at reported summary executions of civilians in Sudan

The UN rights chief said Friday that he was "deeply alarmed" by reports of summary executions of civilians in Khartoum North, allegedly by Sudanese army fighters and allied militia.

"Deliberately taking the life of a civilian or anyone not or no longer directly taking part in hostilities is a war crime," Volker Turk said in a statement.

The war between Sudan's army (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023 has killed tens of thousands of people and uprooted more than 12 million, according to the United Nations, and pushed millions to the brink of famine.

After months of apparent stalemate in Khartoum, the army last week broke an almost two-year RSF siege of its Khartoum General Command headquarters.

On the same day, the army reported reclaiming its Signal Corps base in Khartoum North, and expelling the RSF from the Jaili oil refinery north of Khartoum.

The UN rights office said it had verified the killings of at least 18 people, including one woman, in seven separate incidents "attributed to SAF-affiliated fighters and militia since the SAF regained control of the area on 25 January".

"Many of the victims of these incidents, which took place in the vicinity the Al Jaili oil refinery, were originally from the Darfur or Kordofan regions of Sudan," it said.

The rights office also highlighted "further disturbing allegations emanating from Khartoum North", which it was still corroborating.

It noted a video circulated Thursday showing men in SAF uniform and members of the Al Baraa Bin Malik Brigade in Khartoum North "reading out a long list of names of alleged RSF collaborators, saying 'Zaili' -- Arabic for 'killed' -- after each name".

"These reports of summary executions, following similar incidents earlier this month in Al Jazirah State, are deeply disturbing," Turk said, adding that "such killings must not become normalised".

He reiterated his call for "all parties to the conflict to take urgent action to protect civilians and to uphold obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law".

"Independent investigations must be held into these incidents in line with relevant international standards."

The rights office voiced fear of further attacks "amid shocking threats of violence against civilians".

It said it had reviewed a video showing a member of the Al Baraa Bin Malik Brigade "threatening to slaughter the residents of El Hadj Yusif in East Nile", an area of Khartoum North.

The office also denounced continued RSF attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, including the shelling of a camp for displaced people in El-Fasher in North Darfur that killed nine civilians on Wednesday.

And on January 24, a drone attack on a maternity hospital in El-Fasher, attributed to the RSF, left at least 67 dead and 19 injured, it said.

"Deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian objects are abhorrent," Turk said.

"Such attacks constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and may constitute war crimes".