Army Commander Al-Burhan orders investigations into alleged killings on the island

Sudan's army chief has ordered an investigation into allegations that his forces committed widespread atrocities after retaking the capital of Gezira state from paramilitary rivals.

Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan's move comes after widespread fears of the killing of civilians – including foreign citizens – after the seizure of Wad Madani.

Neighboring South Sudan said on Wednesday it had summoned Sudan's ambassador to protest “the loss of lives among our innocent citizens.”

Sudan has been witnessing an ongoing war since April 2023, when fighting broke out between the army and the Rapid Support Forces.

Wad Madani, located 87 miles (140 kilometers) south of the capital Khartoum, fell to the Rapid Support Forces about a year ago. The army regained control of it on Saturday.

The city serves as a strategic crossroads, connecting several states via major supply highways. It is also the closest major city to Khartoum.

A Sudanese rights group accused the army of the attack, killing at least 13 people in Taiba Camp, a village about 20 kilometers away.

The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkwita Salami, said she was deeply concerned about reports of revenge attacks against civilians on the island “on the basis of alleged affiliations or ethnicity.”

US Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello described the reports as “horrifying” and urged the military and allied groups to investigate and hold those responsible accountable.

Lieutenant General Burhan said that he had formed a committee to investigate the alleged killings in the 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 atrocities elsewhere on the island.

South Sudan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had received a “comprehensive report” from its embassy in Sudan that “includes details of the unfortunate events that led to the loss of lives among our innocent citizens, who maintain non-combatant status.”

The army previously accused the Rapid Support Forces of hiring South Sudan as “mercenaries” to fight alongside it.

Social media videos of various incidents, including one showing a plainclothes man being thrown off a bridge and then shot by a group of men, have been widely circulated online.

BBC Verify confirmed that the video was filmed along the Hantoub Bridge over the Blue Nile River.

We have matched key elements in the video including the railings and the graffiti as seen in the video with previous videos filmed on the bridge.

One of those involved in the incident, carrying the Sudanese flag, was wearing clothes bearing the logo of the Al-Baraa bin Malik Brigade, which is fighting alongside the Sudanese army in Khartoum and neighboring states.

Two other videos filmed elsewhere show at least 30 bodies of men in civilian clothes lying on the ground next to a wall.

The BBC confirmed, by matching objects seen in the video with satellite images, that the videos were filmed in a location northwest of Wad Madani, a few meters away from where the army appeared to have ambushed RSF fighters.

It is not clear how the men died and whether they were killed before the bodies were collected there.

It is also not possible to identify them or whether they belong to any of the fighting parties, as it is common for armed fighters not to wear uniforms.

Video clips of the ambush, the intense exchange of gunfire, and what followed are also circulating.

On Tuesday, the Sudanese Armed Forces condemned what it called “individual violations” in some areas of Gezira State, and promised to hold those responsible accountable.

Both sides have been accused of committing atrocities in the 20-month-old conflict.

The Rapid Support Forces accused themselves of carrying out revenge attacks on the island after the defection of their commander, Abu Aqla Kikal, in October last year.

Kekal participated heavily in the operation that led to the army regaining control of Wad Medani.

Additional reporting by Youssef Abdullah, BBC Monitor.