US condemns abuses in Sudan, says atrocities 'ominous reminder of Darfur genocide'

By Betul Yuruk

NEW YORK (AA) - The US condemned on Thursday the ongoing human rights violations, abuses and horrific violence in Sudan including reports of widespread sexual violence and killings based on ethnicity by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias.

"The atrocities occurring today in West Darfur and other areas are an ominous reminder of the horrific events that led the United States to determine in 2004 that genocide had been committed in Darfur," the State Department said in a statement.

"We specifically condemn the killing of West Darfur Governor Khamis Abbakar on June 14 after he accused the RSF and other forces of perpetrating genocide."

The conflict-hit African nation has been engulfed by violence again for weeks between the Sudanese army and the RSF paramilitary group two decades after a conflict broke out.

Up to 1,100 civilians have been killed in El Geneina alone, according to estimates of local groups.

The UN says more than 273,000 people are displaced in West Darfur state.

While the atrocities taking place in Darfur are primarily attributable to the RSF and affiliated militia, both sides have been responsible for abuses, said the State Department.

The US also accused the Sudanese army of failing to protect civilians and stoking conflict by encouraging mobilization of tribes.

It called on both sides to cease fighting in the area, control their forces, and hold accountable those responsible for violence or abuses, and enable delivery of desperately needed humanitarian assistance.

Disagreement had been fomenting in recent months between the two sides about the integration of the RSF into the armed forces -- a key condition of Sudan's transition agreement with political groups.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since the fall of 2021, when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's transitional government and declared a state of emergency in a move decried by political forces as a "coup."

The transitional period, which started in August 2019 after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, had been scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.