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A6 WORLD NEWS
Friday 4 august 2023
‘No good options’: Sudan’s warring sides have committed

‘extensive war crimes,’ Amnesty says

By Amy Magdy Darfur was mostly blamed
Associated Press on the RSF and its allied
CAIRO (AP) — A leading Arab militias who the group
human rights group said said targeted the African
on Thursday Sudan’s war- Masalit community in the
ring parties have commit- region.
ted “extensive war crimes” The group, however, said
including mass killings of armed men from the Ma-
civilians, rape and sexual salit allegedly also targeted
slavery of women in the on- Arabs suspected of siding
going conflict. with militias.
The east African country Amnesty detailed waves
plunged into chaos in mid- of violence in West Darfur
April when monthslong ten- province one of five con-
sions between the military stituting the Darfur region
and the paramilitary Rapid including the killing of civil-
Support Forces exploded ians, looting and destruc-
into open fighting in the tion of homes and facilities
capital of Khartoum, and such as the main hospital
elsewhere across the coun- and markets.
try. “Civilians throughout Su-
Amnesty International’s 56- dan are suffering unimagi-
page report said civilians nable horror every single
were deliberately targeted Smoke rises over Khartoum, Sudan, on June 8, 2023, as fighting between the Sudanese army and day,” said Agnès Calla-
and killed and wounded. paramilitary Rapid Support Forces continues. (AP Photo, File) mard, the group’s secre-
Women were raped, with tary general. He called on
some of them held in con- Almost all rape cases were also blamed for most of Khartoum and other ur- the warring sides and their
ditions “amounting to sex- blamed on the RSF and its the deliberate attacks and ban areas into battlefields. affiliated groups to “end
ual slavery” mostly in the allied Arab militias. The re- rape cases, some members Darfur which had been their targeting of civilians,
capital, Khartoum, and the port said the RSF abducted of the military were ac- the scene of genocidal and guarantee safe pas-
western region of Darfur. 24 women and girls - as cused of the crimes, Am- war in the early 2000s saw sage for those seeking
“Sexual violence has been young as 12- and held nesty said. some of the worst bouts of safety.”
a defining element of this them “for several days dur- Responding to the report, violence with the current On April 20, an attack in
conflict since the begin- ing which they were raped the military said they had fighting turning into ethnic Khartoum’s southern neigh-
ning,” Donatella Rovera, by several RSF members.” established a unit to ensure clashes. borhood of Kalakla killed
co-author of the report, Rovera said that war crimes targeted decisions to mini- The fighting forced about 4 three children from the
told The Associated Press. such as sexual assault mize civilian harm while the million people to flee their same family as they tried
“Civilians really have no are happening, ”on what RSF denied allegations of homes either to safer areas to escape the gunfire, the
good options. It’s difficult seems to be a large scale.” sexual violence, as well as inside Sudan or to neigh- group said, adding that it
for them to leave. It’s in- While the RSF, which was carrying out violent acts in boring countries, accord- was not able to determine
credibly dangerous for born out of the notorious West Darfur. ing to the U.N. migration which side was responsible
them to stay.” Janjaweed militias, was The conflict has turned agency. The violence in for the killing. q

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard runs drill on disputed islands as US

military presence in region grows

By Nasser Karimi and Jon launched surface-to-sea commerce in the Strait of
Gambrell missile systems, footage Hormuz and its surrounding
Associated Press aired on state television waters.” Some 20% of the
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s showed. world’s oil passes through
paramilitary Revolutionary The drill comes as thou- the narrow waterway con-
Guard launched a surprise sands of Marines and sailors necting the Persian Gulf to
military drill Wednesday on on both the amphibious as- the wider world and the
disputed islands in the Per- sault ship USS Bataan and U.S. views it as crucial to
sian Gulf, just as the U.S. mil- the USS Carter Hall, a land- both its national security
itary increase its presence ing ship, are on their way to and keeping global energy
in the region over recent the Persian Gulf. Already, prices stable.
ship seizures by Tehran. the U.S. has sent A-10 Thun- Seizing those islands re-
The drill focused primarily derbolt II warplanes, F-16 minds Iran’s neighbors of its
on Abu Musa Island, though and F-35 fighters, as well as military might as Tehran’s
the Guard also landed the destroyer USS Thomas diplomats have been try-
forces on the Greater Tunb In this photo released Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023, by Sepahnews Hudner, to the region. ing to convince Gulf Arab
Island as well, Iran’s state- of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, the Guard’s troops attend a The Pentagon has said the countries allied with the
run IRNA news agency re- drill on Abu Musa Island, in the Persian Gulf. deployment is “in response U.S. that “foreigners” aren’t
ported. (Sepahnews via AP) to recent attempts by Iran needed to secure the
Swarms of small, fast boats took part, along with para- troopers, drones and truck- to threaten the free flow of region.q