Sudan’s army chief has ordered an investigation into allegations that his troops committed widespread atrocities after retaking the state capital of Gezira from their paramilitary rivals.
The move by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan comes after widespread concerns that civilians – including foreign nationals – have been killed since the capture of Wad Madani.
Neighboring South Sudan said on Wednesday it had summoned Sudan’s ambassador to protest “the loss of life among our innocent citizens”.
Sudan has been ravaged by war since April 2023, when fighting broke out between the army and the Rapid Support Force (RSF).
Wad Madani, located 87 miles (140 km) south of the capital Khartoum, fell to the RSF about a year ago. The army regained control of it on Saturday.
The city serves as a strategic crossroads, connecting several states with key supply highways. It is also the closest major city to Khartoum.
A Sudanese human rights group accused the army of going on a rampage, killing at least 13 people in the Taiba camp, a village about 20 km away.
The UN’s humanitarian chief in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, said she was deeply concerned by reports of revenge attacks on civilians in Gezira “based on alleged affiliation or ethnicity”.
US Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello called the reports “appalling” and called on the military and allied groups to investigate and hold those responsible accountable.
Gen Burhan said he had set up a commission to investigate the alleged killings at Taiba camp and asked it to submit a report within a week.
He did not comment on the concerns raised by South Sudan and whether the investigation would focus on alleged crimes elsewhere in Gezira.
South Sudan’s foreign ministry said it had received a “comprehensive report” from its embassy in Sudan with “details of the unfortunate events that have resulted in the loss of life among our innocent citizens, who retain their non-combatant status.”
The military has previously accused the RSF of recruiting South Sudanese as “mercenaries” to fight on its side.
Videos of various incidents on social media, including one showing a plainclothes man being thrown over a bridge and then shot at by a group of men, have been widely shared online.
BBC Verify has confirmed that the video was taken by the Hantoub Bridge over the Blue Nile River.
We compared key elements in the video, including the railings and the image on the railings as seen in the video, to earlier videos taken on the bridge.
One of the men involved in the incident, who is wearing a Sudanese flag, is wearing clothing with the logo used by the al-Bara’a bin Malik brigade, which is fighting alongside the Sudanese army in Khartoum and neighboring states.
Two other videos taken elsewhere show the bodies of at least 30 men in civilian clothes lying on the ground next to a wall.
BBC Verify established, by matching the objects seen in the video with satellite images, that the videos were taken at a location northwest of Wad Madani, just meters from where the army appears to have ambushed RSF fighters.
It is not clear how the men died or if they were killed before the bodies were collected there.
It is also not possible to identify them or whether they were connected to any of the warring parties, as it is customary for armed fighters not to wear uniforms.
Videos of the ambush, the heavy exchange of fire and the aftermath are also circulating.
Sudan’s armed forces on Tuesday condemned what it called “isolated violations” in some parts of Gezira state and vowed to hold those responsible accountable.
Both sides have been accused of crimes in the 20-month conflict.
The RSF itself has been accused of carrying out revenge attacks in Gezira following the defection of its commander, Abu Aql Kaikal, in October last year.
Kaikal was heavily involved in the operation that saw the army regain control of Wada Madani.
Additional reporting by Yussuf Abdullahi, BBC Monitoring.
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