Sudan investigates killings of civilians in Al Jazirah state

January 14, 2025 (PORT SUDAN/KAMPALA) – Sudan’s military is investigating the killing of civilians in Al Jazirah state, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday, after accusations of abuses by troops and allied forces against residents of informal settlements known as “Al-Knabi.”

The killings occurred in Kambo Tayba, near the city of Wad Madani, which the army recently recaptured from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The incident has drawn condemnation from civilian groups and raised concerns about the conduct of the army and its allies in the conflict, which erupted in April 2023.

The foreign ministry said in a statement that the killings would be “subject to a thorough investigation” and those responsible would be held accountable. It said the government was committed to upholding the rule of law and international humanitarian law.

The civilian democratic forces coalition Taqadum criticized the army for describing the killings as “individual transgressions.”

“The systematic killing of civilians has become a reality whenever the armed forces and their allies enter an area that was under the control of the Rapid Support Forces,” Bakry Eljack, spokesperson for Taqadum, told Sudan Tribune.

Eljack said the targeting of civilians in Kambo 5, and Al-Knabi was ethnically motivated and called on the international community and rights groups to pressure the army to stop the violence and ensure accountability.

Al-Knabi are informal settlements inhabited mainly by agricultural workers and their families, located near large farming projects in central and eastern Sudan.

Some residents of Al Jazirah have accused Al-Knabi residents of collaborating with the RSF, which seized control of Wad Madani and other areas in the early stages of the conflict.

The army has condemned what it called “individual transgressions” by some of its troops. The Sudan Shield Forces, an allied militia, denied involvement in any abuses.