Army Commander Burhan orders an investigation into the alleged murders in Gezira

Sudan’s army chief has ordered an investigation into allegations that his troops committed mass atrocities after retaking the state capital of Gezira from their paramilitary rivals.

The move by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan came after widespread concern that civilians – including foreign nationals – had been killed since the capture of Wada Madani.

Neighboring South Sudan said on Wednesday it had summoned Sudan’s ambassador to protest the “death of our innocent citizens”.

Sudan has been ravaged by war since April 2023, when fighting broke out between the army and the Rapid Support Force (RSF).

Wad Madani, located 87 miles (140 km) south of the capital Khartoum, fell to the RSF about a year ago. The military regained control of it on Saturday.

The city is a strategic crossroads connecting several states with key transport routes. It is also the closest major city to Khartoum.

A Sudanese rights group accused the military of going on a rampage, killing at least 13 people in Camp Taiba, a village about 20 km away.

The UN humanitarian chief in Sudan, Clementina Nkweta-Salami, said she was deeply concerned by reports of retaliatory attacks on civilians in Gezira “based on perceived affiliation or ethnicity”.

U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello called the reports “appalling” and called on the military and allied groups to investigate and bring those responsible to justice.

General Burhan said he had set up a committee to investigate the alleged killings in the Taiba camp and asked it to report within a week.

He would not comment on South Sudan’s concerns or whether the investigation would focus on alleged atrocities elsewhere in Gezira.

South Sudan’s foreign ministry said it had received a “comprehensive report” from its embassy in Sudan “detailing the unfortunate events that led to the deaths of our innocent citizens who maintain combatant status.”

The military has previously accused the RSF of hiring South Sudanese as “mercenaries” to fight on their side.

Videos of various incidents on social media, including a video of a plainclothes man jumping over a bridge and then being shot by a group of men, have been widely shared online.

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

We compared key elements in the video, including the railing and the pattern on the railing, as seen in the video, to earlier videos taken on the bridge.

One of the participants in the incident, carrying a Sudanese flag, is wearing clothing with the logo used by the al-Baraa bin Malik Brigade, which is fighting alongside the Sudanese army in Khartoum and neighboring states.

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

BBC Verify, by matching objects seen in the video with satellite imagery, established that the videos were taken at a location northwest of Wadi Madani, just meters from where the army appears to have ambushed RSF fighters.

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

It is also impossible to determine their identity or whether they were affiliated with any of the warring parties, as armed fighters usually do not wear uniforms.

Videos of the ambush, the intense firefight, and the aftermath are also being shared.

Sudan’s armed forces on Tuesday condemned what they called “individual violations” in parts of Gezira state and vowed that those responsible would be brought to justice.

Both sides are accused of atrocities in the 20-month conflict.

The RSF itself has been accused of carrying out retaliatory attacks on Gezira following the defection of its commander, Abu Aql Kaikal, last October.

Kaikal was actively involved in the operation that led to the army regaining control of Wada Madani.

Additional reporting by Yusuf Abdullahi, BBC Monitoring.