United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk voiced deep concern on Thursday over reports of summary executions of civilians in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum. The alleged killings occurred last week after the Sudanese army regained control of the city from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
“I am utterly appalled by the credible reports of numerous incidents of summary executions of civilians in several areas of Khartoum, on apparent suspicions that they were collaborating with the Rapid Support Forces,” Turk said in a statement.
The Sudanese army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has been engaged in conflict with the RSF, commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, since April 2023. While the army recently declared it had fully reclaimed Khartoum following weeks of paramilitary attacks, Daglo insisted that his forces had merely “repositioned.”
According to the Sudanese Resistance Committee, an activist group, at least 85 people were killed in a single week of clashes.
Turk called on Sudanese military leaders to put an immediate stop to unlawful killings. He also revealed that his office had reviewed “horrific videos” circulating on social media since March 26, purportedly showing armed men executing civilians “in cold blood” in southern and eastern Khartoum.
“In some videos, perpetrators state that they are punishing supporters of RSF,” the statement added.
