US declares warring factions in Sudan have committed war crimes
Al JazeeraNov 23, 2023
US: Warring Factions in Sudan Committed War Crimes
Image copyright: Abdulmonam Eassa/Getty Images News [via Getty Images]
The Facts
Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Wednesday that the US has officially concluded that the warring parties in Sudan have committed war crimes, as he urged the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to stop the violence that erupted in April.
According to Blinken's statement, the US also found that the RSF and their affiliated militias were responsible for crimes against humanity and the ethnic cleansing of Masalit civilians — a non-Arab group — in West Darfur, while it cautioned that the SAF's strikes on RSF-controlled residential areas could be in breach of international law.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
There has to be an end to the civil conflict in Sudan. Secretary Blinken is right about that. The crimes committed against the civilian population have gone unchecked for too long, and there is a great chance that the fighting will expand into nearby nations. Should that occur, it would be a surefire way to unleash a massive human tragedy that would result in a protracted war and a human catastrophe for millions of people.
Establishment-critical narrative
While Washington is right to call out the atrocities being committed in Sudan, it has so far failed to acknowledge the Western meddling that undoubtedly played a role in the conflict. Western governments so "kindly" offering humanitarian aid today and condemning the violence are the same ones who toyed with Sudan for decades solely to steal its resources and combat China's rise in the region.