UN and rights organizations in Sudan warn against rise of extrajudicial killings in Khartoum

CAIRO (AP) — The United Nations on Thursday condemned reports by local rights groups of extrajudicial killings taking place in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, which the Sudanese military recaptured last month.

Emergency Lawyers, a rights group tracking violence against civilians, on Monday said in a statement that the Sudanese army committed field executions against civilians in Khartoum and Jebel Aulia, purportedly on suspicion of collaborating with the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Volker Türk, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, said Thursday in a statement that he was “appalled” by such reports and urged the Sudanese army to end “arbitrary deprivation of life.”

A video posted by Emergency Lawyers captures multiple instances of individuals, some blindfolded, being fatally shot by men in uniform and others in civilian clothing.

The Associated Press couldn’t independently verify the contents of the video, but OHCHR cited similar footage reportedly showing armed men “executing civilians in cold blood” and that in some videos, perpetrators are stating that they are punishing RSF supporters.

“Extrajudicial killings are serious violations and their perpetrators, as well as those with command responsibility, must be held accountable,” said Thameen al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

The war in Sudan broke out in April 2023 between the military and its rival paramilitary RSF with battles in Khartoum and around the country. The Sudanese military has control over el-Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur, despite near-daily strikes by the RSF.

OHCHR spokesperson Seif Magango said the organization has documented a “disturbing rise” in online hate speech and incitement to violence that includes lists of individuals accused of collaborating with the RSF being circulated online.

Emergency Lawyers condemned the social media campaign, led by activists and Sudanese army supporters, as a “serious breach” of local and international laws that “fuel hate speech, violence and threaten social unity,” leading to some settling their disputes outside the law and judicial frameworks.

At least 20,000 people are thought to have been killed since the war broke out, though the number is likely far higher. The war has also driven more than 14 million people from their homes and pushed parts of the country into famine.