Civilian deaths following aerial bombardment, extrajudicial killings and custodial violence in Sudan’s conflict affected areas

(19 May 2014) The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) continues to document serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in Sudan’s conflict regions. In April and May ACJPS documented the deaths of four detainees in state custody in two separate incidents in Darfur and Blue Nile, and extrajudicial killings and aerial bombardment in Darfur which led to the deaths of ten civilians, including four children.

The Government of Sudan has amplified its campaign to quell the conflicts in Darfur, Blue Nile, and South Kordofan by mobilising and deploying a paramilitary group referred to as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The RSF is commanded by the former Janjawid leader Mohamed Hamdan (also known as “Hemeti”) and under the control of the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS). The RSF was deployed in late February to South Darfur, where they engaged in joint attacks with the Popular Defense Forces, Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and Sudanese Air Force. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimated that operations conducted by the RSF between 19 and 27 February 2014 resulted in the displacement of up to 40,000 people.

In Darfur the RSF has also been used to conduct arrests and transfer detainees to the Military Intelligence unit within the SAF for further investigation. Whilst the RSF have not yet been deployed to Blue Nile state, individuals presumed to be supporters of the rebel Sudanese Peoples’ Liberation Movement – North (SPLM-N) have been targeted in attacks by the SAF. ACJPS has also confirmed reports that at least one community leader in the region who provided information concerning rebel activity has been rewarded with a high ranking position in the SAF and granted authority to conduct arrests of civilians.

Deaths in Military Intelligence Custody in South Darfur and Blue Nile

In April and May ACJPS documented two cases of deaths of detainees in the custody of the SAF’s Military Intelligence unit in South Darfur and Blue Nile states. The SAF’s Military Intelligence Unit is tasked with investigating rebel activities and coordinating offensives in Sudan’s conflict zones of Darfur, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile.

Nyala, South Darfur

At 11pm on 6 April the Nyala Hospital in South Darfur received two dead bodies and a third individual in a critical condition from Military Intelligence officers. The third individual died in the hospital shortly after. The names of the three deceased individuals are below.

1. Musa Mahmoud, (m), 55 years of age, a member of the Tama ethnic group from Um Gonga area.
2. Hummida Mahmoud, (m), 20 years of age, a member of the Zaghawa ethnic group from Um Gonga area.
3. Jamal Eldein Mohammed Abdulaziz, (m), 30 years of age, a member of the Zaghawa ethnic group from Um Gonga area. Mr. Abdulaziz died later at the Nyala hospital.

The three men were arrested in early March by the RSF when the paramiliary force attacked Um Gonga in South Darfur.

A reliable medical source reported to ACJPS that the three deaths were the result of torture by Military Intelligence officers. The bodies of the men showed signs of beatings and burns to their stomachs and genitals. They also appeared to be severely malnourished.

Military Intelligence officers later came to Nyala hospital and took the bodies of the deceased. The whereabouts of the corpses have not been made known.

Fazugli, Blue Nile

A fourth detainee, Alsadig Adam Hassan, died on 8 May while in Military Intelligence custody in Fazugli, Blue Nile state. On 3 May SAF Lieutenant Colonel Zidan Yassin Bashir, an Almak (community leader) in Fazugli, Blue Nile, and SAF officer Alam Aldien Alnaier arrested three men following orders from Military Intelligence. Lieutenant Colonel Bashir is a community leader who was recently awarded his title from the SAF in exchange for cooperating with the Sudanese government to provide intelligence on the rebel Sudanese Peoples’ Liberation Movement (SPLM-N) in Blue Nile state. The names of the three arrested men are below.

1. Alsadig Adam Hassan, (m), 27 years of age, a member of the El Foung ethnic group. Mr. Adam is believed to have died in Military Intelligence custody on 8 May. While not affiliated with any political party, Mr. Adam was known for criticising the decision of local community leaders to cooperate with the Sudanese government. Mr. Adam was married with eight children.
2. Youssuf Jumaa Saeed, (m), a member of the El Foung ethnic group. Mr. Saeed was released on 8 May.
3. Abdul Alraman Abdalraman Mohamed Nasir, a member of the El Foung ethnic group from Fazugli in Blue Nile state. Mr. Nasir was released on 8 May.

Following Mr. Adam’s death, a high ranking SAF officer called Yahya Idriss contacted Mr. Adam’s brother and informed him that Mr. Adam had died of diarrhoea and that he had buried his body.

Extrajudicial Killings by the Sudanese Armed Forces

On 12 May a group of officers from the SAF travelling in two land cruisers belonging to the SAF opened fire on three civilians, including two women and a ten year old child, in Drbatte, eastern Jebel Mara locality in South Darfur while they were on their way to a local water source. Their names are below.

1. Mohammed Hussein Mubarak, (m), 10 years of age.
2. Husnah Salah Abdulaziz, (f), 35 years of age.
3. Aziza Abdalla Mohammed, (f), 28 years of age.

Aerial Bombardment

Golo town, West Darfur

At 11.30am on 15 May the Sudanese Air Force conducted an aerial bombardment campaign in Golo town, eastern Jebel Marra. Golo is part of Zalengei locality of West Darfur. The bombardment resulted in the deaths of three children. Their names are below.

1. Abdumula Yousif Abdumula, (m), 7 years of age, member of the Fur ethnic group.
2. Kubra Ishag Abdumnam, (f), 4 years of age, member of the Fur ethnic group.
3. Khalil Sadiq Hussein, (m), 9 years of age, member of the Fur ethnic group.

The children were buried the same day at 2.30pm in Golo.

Two other individuals, including one child, were injured in the bombing. Their names are below.

1. Fatima Alnour Ibrahim, (f), 6 years of age, member of the Fur ethnic group.
2. Yahyia Abduljalil Yahyia, (m), 24 years of age, member of the Fur ethnic group.

Fanga village, South Darfur

At 3pm on 15 May the Sudanese Air Force conducted an aerial bombardment campaign in Fanga village, eastern Jebel Marra, South Darfur. The bombardment resulted in the deaths of four civilians.

1. Hanan Musa Bahar, (f), 27 years of age, member of the Fur ethnic group.
2. Jumaa Ishag Mohamed (m), 30 years of age, member of the Fur ethnic group.
3. Anwar Bakhiet Adam, (m), 81 years of age, member of the Fur ethnic group.
4. Abdelbasit Suleiman Abdelrahman, (m), 30 years of age, member of the Fur ethnic group.

The deceased were buried at 9pm on 15 May.

Two other individuals were injured in the bombing. Their names are below.

1. Musa Atta Almanan, (m), 25 years of age, member of the Fur ethnic group.
2. Younis Mohamed Yusuf, (m), 30 years of age, member of the Fur ethnic group.

Fanga does not have the facilities to treat the injured men and both have been unable to access appropriate medical care.

A reliable source confirmed to ACJPS that there is not a rebel presence in Golo town or Fanga village.

ACJPS condemns all attacks on civilians and calls on the Government of Sudan (GoS) to cease aerial bombardment and arbitrary attacks in civilian areas, and ensure the safety of all detainees. ACJPS calls on the Government of Sudan (GoS) to:

• Guarantee the right to life under Sudan’s national legislation and international commitments.
• Release the bodies of the deceased detainees in South Darfur and Blue Nile states and allow for an independent post-mortem to be carried out establishing the cause of deaths.
• Launch an independent and impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the detainees and civilians in Darfur and Blue Nile states, and guarantee that their findings are published promptly and within a clear timeframe. The findings of investigations established by the GoS on human rights violations in Darfur, such as the killing of fifty-eight civilians in Tabra, North Darfur in 2010, have never been published.
• Officially and publicly condemn unlawful killings, torture and other ill-treatment and make clear that these acts are absolutely prohibited and will be prosecuted.
• Immediately cease all aerial bombardment of civilians in Darfur and other regions of Sudan. Aerial bombardment of civilian targets is illegal under international law and prohibited by several UN Security Council resolutions on Sudan.
• Establish an independent oversight mechanism to monitor SAF and NISS custodies.
• Repeal all legal provisions granting immunities to police officers, members of the NISS and members of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) respectively, including the removal of immunities for members of the SAF under the 2007 Armed Forces Act.
• Establish a compensation fund for the families of the victims and those injured. Medical treatment should be provided to those injured in Fanga and Golo.

Background

ACJPS has documented two previous incidents of deaths in police custodies in Sudan since 2010.

ACJPS is aware of at least 92 individuals detained incommunicado in North Darfur by Military Intelligence, the NISS and in Shala prison in El Fashir.

In the rest of the country, advocates seeking to highlight the human rights situation in Darfur have been targeted in a general crack down on freedom of expression and association. Demonstrations staged  by the Darfur Students’ Association on 11 March at the University of Khartoum to condemn RSF operations in South Darfur were brutally suppressed by the police, NISS, and student militias, killing one person, Ali Abakar Musa, (m), and critically injuring seven others.

Dr. Sidig Noreen Ali Abdalla, a university professor who is thought to have been detained on account of his advocacy on the situation in Darfur, remains without charge in NISS custody in El Obeid town, North Kordofan state. He has been detained incommunicado for more than four months since his arrest on 16 January. Another man, journalist and blogger Taj Aldeen Arjaa,  was released without charge on 11 May, after spending more than four months in NISS detention following his arrest on 26 December 2013 on account of his opinions on Darfur. Mr. Arjaa had openly criticised President Omar al Bashir of Sudan and Idriss Deby of Chad at a press conference attended by the two leaders for their roles in the atrocities and human rights violations committed in Darfur.

Criticism of the RSF has also been levied by Sudan’s political opposition and members of the SAF. Sadiq al-Mahdi, leader of the opposition National Umma Party, was arrested on 17 May and detained in Kober prison in Khartoum. Al-Mahdi had accused the RSF of committing atrocities in Sudan’s conflict zones, including the rape and destruction of villages. He is reportedly facing capital charges under Articles 50 (undermining the constitutional order) and 51 (waging war against the state) of the 1991 Sudanese Penal Code. The Umma Party has withdrawn their participation from the national dialogue called for by the Government of Sudan in advance of the constitutional review process and national elections.

Within the SAF reformists have distanced themselves from the RSF, stating that they are solely controlled by the NISS and calling for their dissolution on the grounds that their mobilisation was unconstitutional.

Contact: Katherine Perks, Programme Director, Kampala, on info@acjps.org or +256 775072136.