RSF Committed"War Crimes" in Darfur, Head of The Sudan Liberation Movement Tells AWP
(AWP) - The leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of committing "war crimes and crimes against humanity" in the Darfur region, west of Sudan, as fighting between the rebel militia and the Sudanese Armed Forces continues in the ongoing civil war, which first broke out in April.
In an interview with AWP in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan, the President of the Sudan Liberation Movement, Mustafa Tambour, demanded that anyone proven to have committed war crimes be tried.
“There have been crimes committed against civilians that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, in addition to repeated waves of displacement from North, South and Central Darfur,” he said.
“There were young people buried alive in one mass grave, and the streets of the city of el-Geneina are filled with the bodies of the victims. There were rapes estimated in the thousands. All this was committed by the RSF,” he added.
“The RSF continue their violations, kidnapping girls from homes, and carrying out very large-scale arrests of young men. There are murders committed in the western neighbourhoods of the city of Nyala, and there was kidnapping of young men in the centre of the city of Zalingei yesterday and today,” he continued.
Tambour said that his movement is fighting against the RSF alongside the Sudanese army.
We have dead fighters, and we have dozens wounded now. They are receiving treatment, and until this moment, we have a very high degree of coordination between us and the Armed Forces,” he continued.
According to Tambour, the Jeddah talks present an opportunity for security coordination between the fighting parties that should, “begin with the departure of these militias from the homes of citizens, away from residential areas. [They must] leave health and service institutions, and gather in preparation for their demobilisation, after having their weapons confiscated.”
“There is no objection to those who want to integrate into the Armed Forces according to customs of the Armed Forces’ integration process. Those who want to be demobilised must be demobilised, and those who have committed crimes against civilians must be tried,” Tambour said.