African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies ACJPS | المركز الافريقي لدراسات العدالة و السلام
(1 May 2015) In early April, the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) documented a chain of targeted attacks on civilians around the capital of Blue Nile state by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – North (SPLM-N) and Sudan Armed Forces (SAF).
On 7 April the SPLM-N attacked a private truck carrying four uniformed SAF officers and two civilians heading north to El Damazien from Al Madina village. The four SAF officers and a pregnant woman were killed. In apparent retaliation the next day, the SAF attacked the village of Mediam al Jabal, around 70km south of El Damazein, populated mostly by the Ansanga ethnic group who are widely perceived to support the SPLM-N. The SAF, arriving in land-cruisers, reportedly ordered residents to leave their homes, and then set fire to the village. The village – including 450 homes – was burned, and the property and foodstuffs carried by fleeing residents was confiscated. Residents were displaced to a nearby roadside. Three days later, on 12 April, the SPLM-N launched a counter-attack on the village of Almadina 10, around 10 kilometers south of El Damazein, populated mostly by members of the Hausa ethnic group. The Hausa are widely perceived to support the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and to have provided recruits for the government’s Popular Defence Forces (PDF). Seven civilians were killed and seven others severely injured when the SPLM-N shelled the town.
The attacks on Almadina and Mediam al Jabal appear to have been aimed solely at punishing populations perceived to support either side to the conflict in Blue Nile state, based on their ethnic affiliations. Civilians and civilian property was directly targeted with no military presence or legitimate military targets evident in either village. International law strictly prohibits the targeting of civilians and civilian property. The principle of distinction between civilians and people taking an active part in hostilities under customary international law applies in all circumstances.
Ambush on truck carrying civilians and SAF officers from Almadina to El Damazein
On 7 April the SPLM-N fired on a small private truck carrying two civilians and four uniformed SAF officers on the road from Almadina to El Damazein, the capital of Blue Nile state. The two civilian women, a pregnant woman and a midwife, were travelling to the hospital in El Damazein.
The four SAF officers and the midwife were killed, but the civilian driver of the truck and the pregnant woman survived.
Attack on Mediam Al Jabal by the Sudanese Armed Forces
The following day, on 8 April, the SAF launched a retaliatory attack on the Mediam Al Jabal village, approximately 70 kilometers south of El Damazein. Approximately 3,700 civilians, predominantly members of the Angsana ethnic group, are resident in the town. The Angsana is perceived by the Sudanese authorities to support the SPLM – N. Many members of the Angsana ethnic group have been displaced in Blue Nile state since the outbreak of conflict in 2011.
The SAF reportedly ordered the residents of Mediam Al Jabal to leave their homes, and then set fire to the village. All of the homes – approximately 450 homes in total – were burnt down and property and food items carried by residents fleeing the scene was confiscated and burnt.
After the attack, the SAF blocked the Sudanese Red Crescent from visiting or providing humanitarian assistance to Mediam Al Jabal. Village residents fled and have taken temporary shelter along the main road leading to Almadina 10.
Attack on Almadina by the Sudanese Peoples’ Liberation Movement – North
On 12 April the SPLM – N launched a counter attack on Almadina 10, a village which is home to approximately 10,000 members of the Hausa ethnic group. The Hausa have been widely perceived as lending political support to the National Congress Party (NCP) and providing recruits for the government’s Popular Defence Forces (PDF).
The SPLM – N reportedly fired shells on the city, killing seven civilians and severely injuring seven others who were transferred to Khartoum for medical care. An SPLM-N lieutenant was killed when nearby SAF forces fired on the SPLM-N unit.
ACJPS unequivocally condemns all attacks on civilians. The Government of Sudan and the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – North are bound under customary international law on internal armed conflicts to distinguish between civilians and people actively taking part in the hostilities. They must make every effort to protect civilians from harm.
The Sudanese authorities should stop targeting civilians and immediately investigate the circumstances surrounding all attacks on civilians in the region. Authorities should make clear that civilians and civilian property may never be deliberately attacked and that those responsible are committing war crimes that will be prosecuted. The SPLM – N should immediately condemn attacks in Blue Nile against civilians, and take appropriate measures to prohibit future attacks.
Full humanitarian access must be granted to enable the provision of emergency support to civilians affected by the attacks.
Background
In 2015, there have been rising hostilities, mass displacement, and a deepening food crisis in Sudan’s conflict areas of Darfur, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile. There are currently 1.7 million internally displaced persons in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, and 2.5 internally displaced in Darfur. The conflicts have been characterized by direct and indiscriminate attacks on civilian targets, killings, sexual violence, destruction of property, and loss of livelihoods.
In late 2014 the Government of Sudan launched a renewal of the “Decisive Summer Campaign”, professing to eradicate all armed rebellions in Sudan. Over 1,500 bombs and shells were reportedly dropped on South Kordofan in December 2014 and January 2015 alone.
A report released by the UN Panel of Experts on Sudan in January 2015 expressed concern about an apparent government policy of “collective punishment” to counter the insurgency in Darfur, a policy that has seen villages and communities perceived to be supportive of armed opposition groups targeted. A similar trend of targeting of communities based on their ethnic identities – and presumed political affiliations – has been followed by government forces in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.
The Sudanese authorities have severely restricted access for humanitarian aid agencies to South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, and has sought to block all humanitarian access to areas controlled by the SPLM-N.
The Government of Sudan and the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – North are bound by customary international law on internal armed conflicts which prohibits deliberate attacks on civilians, indiscriminate attacks on civilians even where there may be armed elements amongst civilians, attacks aimed at terrorizing civilians, and attacks against civilian objects. The principle of distinction between civilians and combatants – that is people taking an active part in hostilities – prohibits the targeting of civilians in all circumstances. All parties to the conflict have an obligation to take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian casualties.
Contact: Mohamed Badawi (English and Arabic), ACJPS Human Rights Monitoring Programme Coordinator, in Kampala, Uganda on +256783693689, email: info@acjps.org
