Under Al Burhan’s Watch: US Investigation Reveals Port Sudan’s Involvement in Ethnically Motivated War Crimes (Video)
A CNN investigation has revealed shocking information about the horrific campaign of violence carried out -in Al-Jazeera state- by Port Sudan forces, under the watchful eye of their Commander-in-Chief, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan. Furthermore, after reviewing the investigation’s details, a UN official described it as “ethnically motivated genocide.”
The aforementioned CNN investigation, conducted in collaboration with the investigative newsroom (Light House Reports), relied on satellite imagery, survivor testimonies, and field analysis, revealing “horrific violations” and “described war crimes” committed by the Port Sudan forces.
According to CNN, it is noteworthy that the violations committed by Port Sudan forces and allied militias “remained largely hidden.”
“Unprecedented Brutality”
The investigation detailed the violations committed by Port Sudan forces and affiliated militias, revealing “unprecedented” brutality tactics, which included mass killings and summary executions. This is based on testimonies from survivors who described arbitrary executions of innocent civilians -for the mere suspicion of sympathizing with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), particularly those from non-Arab tribes in Darfur and Kordofan.
Furthermore, the investigation documented testimonies of sexual violence and “systematic rape” used as a weapon of war, focusing on women and girls in targeted villages. Moreover, it revealed information about adopting a policy of “Ethnic Cleansing,” as entire villages were burnt to the ground and vital infrastructure such as markets and hospitals were destroyed, in an effort to force residents to flee.
Amongst the policies of collective punishment practiced in Al-Jazeera state -specifically- was indiscriminate bombing, including airstrikes on densely populated civilian areas, which, naturally, resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties, amongst whom were children and women.
CNN reported that the aforementioned violations were carried out under orders from the highest levels of the Port Sudan forces’ command, revealing that an official in the General Intelligence Service was responsible for coordinating the attacks in Al-Jazeera state, moreover, the Commander-in-Chief of the Port Sudan forces, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, “was aware of the attacks.”
“The Scene of the Massacre”
The investigation pinpointed the timing of the horrific violations committed in Al-Jazeera state to last January, coinciding with Port Sudan forces’ desperate attempts to regain control over the strategic city of Wad Medanifrom the Rapid Support Forces. It noted that “the atrocities escalated” as Al-Burhan’s forces approached the city.
In the village of Al-Kariba, videos documented dozens of young men being detained and “brutally” assaulted by Port Sudan forces, as they accused them of belonging to the RSF. In addition, the investigation pointed to a massacre committed near what is known as the “Police Bridge,” where footage showed approximately (50 bodies) at what CNN described as a “the scene of the massacre.”
CNN quoted an unnamed source within the high ranks of the General Intelligence Service in Port Sudan, who spoke on condition of anonymity “for fear of reprisals,” indicating that “the victims killed at the Police Bridge were buried in mass graves.”
Notably, the Intelligence source acknowledged that the death toll wasn’t limited to members of the Rapid Support Forces, but included innocent civilians executed “based on suspicion.” Satellite images of the area taken days after the massacre confirmed the presence of white objects, presumably bodies wrapped in shrouds, in a mass grave.
However, mass graves were not the only method used by Port Sudan forces and their militias to dispose of bodies, according to the CNN investigation, as the network quoted a second Intelligence source who stated that some civilians accused of collaborating with the RSF were shot and then thrown into a nearby canal.
“Al-Burhan Stands Above the Corpses”
Mere four miles from the village of Bika, the informant reported seeing bodies thrown into the water, whilst days later, according to the Intelligence source, Al-Burhan was addressing his soldiers from behind the same canal where the bodies had been dumped.
Satellite images taken last May, after the water level had receded, show what appear to be dozens of bodies at the bottom of the canal, just meters from where Al-Burhan was standing.
According to CNN, the horrific attacks carried out by Port Sudan forces along the road to Wad Medani weren’t “isolated incidents” but “part of a broader campaign of ethnically motivated attacks” targeting at least (39 villages) in Al-Jazeera state.
The abuses were rather heavily targeting the Canabi, a non-Arab farming community often referred to by militias as “the Black Sudanese.” which prompted a member of the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission to describe the military campaign as “targeted genocide based on ethnicity.”
Hence, the CNN investigation concludes that impunity is the primary reason for the continuance of such abuses, as the Port Sudan forces have failed to conduct serious investigations into the crimes committed by their own troops and allied militias.
