New video clip documents Army’s execution of civilians

Once again, the Sudanese people are shocked by the content of a newly surfacing video clip showing a group of Sudanese army soldiers and officers celebrating the killing of a number of people in civilian clothes. This all comes to pass amid assertions by human rights groups and political leaders that the victims are citizens who were taken out of a traveling vehicle before being executed upon suspicion of belonging to the Rapid Support Forces.

The incident took place yesterday, Sunday, in the city of El-Obeid, North Kordofan state. It brought to mind a similar incident that occurred in the same city last February, known as the “Beheading,” which was also documented in a video clip showing a group of Sudanese army soldiers holding and raising decapitated heads of people they claim belonged to the Rapid Support Forces. Only it became clear at a later date that they were young civilians who were arrested when they were on their way to their areas in central Sudan.

Political leaders and human rights groups considered what happened on Sunday in the city of El-Obeid “a full-fledged war crime and a terrorist act that requires condemnation,” for the victims were civilians who were executed because they shared the same social fabric of the Rapid Support Forces in western Sudan.

“Terrorist behavior”

The Vice President of the Sudanese Congress Party, Khaled Omar Youssef, stated : “The horrific video circulating, which depicts members of the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by a high-ranking officer, celebrating the barbaric killing of a group of people wearing civilian clothes, amid shouts of takbir and tahleel, is an extension of terrorist behavior with an alarmingly escalating pace, that leads to the transformation of this accursed war into an all-out war fueled by social strife and resentment that will spare none and leave nothing intact ”

Youssef stressed on the “X” platform that what happened was “a criminal act, voices must be raised to condemn it, and its perpetrators, whose heinous act was documented in the video clip, must be brought to trial.”

He added, “Whoever does not see the absolute ugliness of this war and the vileness of the goals of those who stand behind its continuation and the very nature of their plans, must reevaluate the soundness of his insight and conscience.” Youssef stressed the need to expose the ugliness of war, condemn those behind it, hold them accountable for their actions, and remain an impenetrable barrier against the efforts to tear this country apart, which are to escalate in pace as long as the war continues.

He explained that “the way to achieve the aforementioned is to put an end to the war, fight the discourses and actions that fuel it and tear apart the social fabric, expose the terrible violations that occur and hold their perpetrators accountable, as well as choose a peaceful path to address the causes of the conflict in a radical way that leads to achieving sustainable peace in Sudan.”

The Assistant Chairman of the National Umma Party, Salah Mannaa, affirmed on the “X” platform that “the crime that occurred in El-Obeid was committed against unarmed citizens who had no connection to the Rapid Support Forces except that they share the social fabric, is a full-fledged war crime and a terrorist act that requires condemnation.”

He pointed out that the crime was committed in the presence of Brig. Gen. Al-Awad Mohammed Al-Awad, Director of Security service in North Kordofan, in addition to the Commander of the Army’s Fifth Division in El-Obeid city, who was also seen at the crime scene.

“Terrorist” groups

The Darfur Justice Platform condemned the incident, stating, “The Sudanese army, and the extremist terrorist groups behind it, are still committing brutal crimes against innocent citizens on an ethnic and regional basis. On Sunday, the 21st of April 2024, the Sudanese army carried out a heinous crime against a number of innocent citizens in the city of El-Obeid.”

The platform shared in a statement, that the victims were civilians who were taken out of a small truck and slaughtered under the direct order from an officer with the rank of brigadier general, according to the circulating video in which the officer appears surrounded by army soldiers carrying out the slaughter order amidst shouts of takbir and tahleel.

The platform pointed out that “this is a heinous and horrific crime that brings to mind the incident of beheading students in the same city months ago, which in turn confirms that this was not an isolated incident, but rather an approach by which these Islamic terrorist groups such as ISIS and other extremist groups are known.”

The statement shared that terrorist acts are alarmingly increasing in frequency under a media campaign that broadcasts hate speech and plays the drums of tribal war among the population.

The Darfur Justice Platform appealed to the international community to play its role in protecting civilians by taking the necessary measures and exerting pressure on both parties to the conflict to return to the negotiation table, end the war, and take the democratic civil path.

The Advisor in the Office of the Commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Al-Basha Tibeaq, condemned the incident, stressing that the victims were innocent citizens who were taken out of a public transport vehicle on the “El-Obeid – Barah” road before they were slaughtered, their bodies were mutilated, and the crime was published on social media sites.

He explained on the “X” platform that “what happened was a behavior that doesn’t befit the national army, but rather terrorist gangs preying on the Sudanese people to plunder their wealth, desecrate their dignity, and humiliate them.”

Al-Basha stated:“Brig. Gen. Al-Awad Mohammed Al-Awad, Director of the General Security and Intelligence Service in North Kordofan state, personally supervised the victims being taken out of a public transport vehicle on the El-Obeid – Barah Road before slaughtering them and mutilating their bodies on an ethnic and regional basis.”

The sense of appreciation is mounting in Sudan in regards to the emergence of terrorist groups that will drag the country into the swamps of revenge, after videos showing killings and mutilation of corpses surfaced.

The Sudanese Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) confirmed the presence of extremist groups fighting alongside the Sudanese army, but they practice acts of revenge that include torture, killing, and mutilation of corpses. “SOHR” warned of the danger these extremist groups pose to the country and its social fabric.

In Sudan, the finger of blame is largely pointed at an armed group affiliated with the dissolved National Congress Party, and is currently fighting alongside the Army, called “Al-Bara’ Brigades.”

“Al-Bara’ Brigades” are a new militia consisting of a group of fighters belonging to the “Popular Security”, which is the secret security service of the ruling Islamic movement during the era of former President Omar Al-Bashir.

Following the outbreak of war in Sudan on the 15th of April last year, these groups have announced their involvement in the fight alongside the Sudanese army against the Rapid Support Forces.

The war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces has entered its second year, amid deteriorating humanitarian conditions for the civilians, as it resulted in the death of at least 13,000 people and the displacement of about 8 million, both displaced and refugees in neighboring countries.