Amnesty International: SAF Aviation committed war crimes in Kabkabiya
- I’m Amnesty International (AI) confirmed in a press release issued on December 12th, 2024 that International Law prohibits attacks on civilian targets and requires parties to the conflict to minimize subsequent harm to civilians.
In response to reports sharing that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) killed dozens in an airstrike on a crowded market in the town of (Kabkabiya), as the town in North Darfur is controlled by the Rapid Support Forces; Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, stated: “Bombing a market full of civilians is one of the clearest examples of a war crime that exists. The potential presence of soldiers in an area cannot in any way be used as justification.”
Tigere Chagutah added, “Reports received by Amnesty International, including from witnesses in Kabkabiya, indicate military aircraft bombed Kabkabiya’s weekly market on the 9th of December, when the area was packed with civilians, killing dozens.”
Amnesty International called on the Sudanese Armed Forces, the Rapid Support Forces and all other parties to the Sudanese conflict to immediately cease all attacks on civilians. It stressed that all those suspected of criminal responsibility for this and all other attacks on civilians in Sudan ought to be held accountable and brought to justice in fair trials.
According to the press release, Amnesty International has previously documented other cases of airstrikes carried out by the Sudanese Armed Forces on civilian areas during the ongoing war against the Rapid Support Forces as well as during previous conflicts.
