PORT SUDAN: Sudan’s army denied on Tuesday any involvement in assaults against civilians in the central state of Al-Jazira, after rights groups accused it and allied militias of killing 13 people, including two children.
The Emergency Lawyers, who have been documenting human rights abuses during the 20-month war between the army and rival paramilitaries, said the attacks in Um Al-Qura in eastern Al-Jazira began last week as the army advanced through the state.
On Saturday, the military recaptured the state capital, Wad Madani, pushing out the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, who had dominated Al-Jazira since December 2023.
The lawyers’ group on Monday accused the army and allied militias of detaining “a number of civilians, including women,” in what they described as a part of campaigns targeting ethnic and regional communities accused of collaborating with the RSF.
They said that the abuses included “extrajudicial killing... kidnapping as well as physical and psychological humiliation and torture.”
Both the army and the RSF have been accused of war crimes, including targeting civilians and indiscriminately shelling residential areas.
Though the RSF has become notorious for alleged ethnic-based violence — leading the United States last week to accuse it of genocide — reports have also emerged of civilians being targeted on the basis of ethnicity in army-controlled areas.
US special envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello on Tuesday described the attacks as “appalling.”
The army “and associated militias must immediately take action to investigate and hold those responsible for such horrors accountable,” he wrote on social media site X.
The army on Tuesday attributed the attacks to “individual violations” and pledged to hold perpetrators to account.
It also accused unnamed groups of exploiting the incidents to blame the military while ignoring what it said were “ongoing and horrific war crimes” committed by the RSF.
Villages such as Kambo Tayba — where the attacks occurred — are home to communities of Kanabi, residents of informal settlements, traditionally seasonal agriculture workers, who according to the Emergency Lawyers have faced hate speech as well as accusations of aiding the RSF.
Community advocacy group the Kanabi Congress has blamed the “massacre” on the Sudan Shield Forces, a group commanded by Abu Aqla Kaykal that has been a key part of the army’s Al-Jazira offensive.
Kaykal in October defected to the army’s side, after serving as the RSF’s Al-Jazira commander during a time when the paramilitary unleashed a litany of horrors on the agricultural state, including laying siege to entire towns.
The Sudanese doctors’ union, a pro-democracy body that has documented abuses on both sides, on Tuesday called the attacks in Um Al-Qura “blatant violations of human dignity and rights.”
“This includes attacks on civilians under the pretext of their alleged cooperation with the RSF or carrying out retaliatory actions on tribal grounds,” they said in a statement.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been devastated by a war that has pitted army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan against his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who commands the RSF.
The war has killed tens of thousands, uprooted more than 12 million and pushed the country to the brink of famine in what the United Nations describes as one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.

BEIRUT: Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam will begin non-binding parliamentary consultations on Wednesday and Thursday to form his government despite Hezbollah’s concerns about being excluded and doubts over the issue of legitimacy.

Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal Movement, have consistently adopted this approach during their periods in power to obstruct anything that does not align with their political ambitions.

Both President Joseph Aoun and Salam on Tuesday sought to reassure all parties in Lebanon despite the appointment of Salam lacking any Shiite parliamentary votes for him.

According to a political observer, there are fears of “potential obstacles to forming the government and granting it parliamentary confidence under the pretext of ‘lacking legitimacy,’ even if the cabinet includes Shiite figures in ministerial positions that may not meet their approval.”

Mohammed Raad, head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, took an antagonistic stance after meeting with Aoun on Monday, stating that favoring Salam for the premiership over Najib Mikati, the incumbent caretaker prime minister supported by Hezbollah, is “an attempt by some to foster division, fragmentation, and exclusion.”

He warned: “It is our right to demand a government that upholds the national pact. We will monitor developments wisely and see their actions to expel Israel from southern Lebanon and return the prisoners.”

In response, the president, speaking before the highest Shiite religious authority in Lebanon, Sheikh Ali Al-Khatib, vice president of the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council, who visited him at the presidential palace, stressed that “no obstacles should be placed in the way of forming the government because we must seize the significant opportunities ahead of us. There is no time to waste, and we need to send positive messages abroad that Lebanon is capable of self-governance, transparent reconstruction, and building the state we all aspire to.”

Aoun emphasized that “the Shiites are not the only ones under threat; all of Lebanon is at risk. If one component is weakened, the entire country is weakened.”

He described the appointment of Salam to form the government as “the result of a democratic process that led to a certain outcome. There are additional phases to come. At times, we may have to take a step back, but the public interest remains the priority.”

Aoun said that “any attack on any part of Lebanon is an attack on all of Lebanon. We are pressing for Israeli withdrawal and the deployment of the Lebanese army in the south.”

The president continued: “Had there been a state and an army in the past, no one would have resorted to resistance.

“The current phase is different. The state bears responsibility, not just a single faction. The entire state and the Lebanese people as a whole are accountable."

He said that it is “not permissible for one group to bear the burden of this conflict (with Israel).”

Aoun recalled the position of Imam Musa Al-Sadr, who advocated for Lebanon’s neutrality in conflicts, noting that Lebanon, given its size, lacks the capacity to engage.

He addressed Sheikh Al-Khatib, saying: “You cannot distance yourselves from the teachings of Imam Al-Sadr; otherwise, you will not belong to the Supreme Islamic Shia Council or the Shiite community. Rest assured that no one will overpower anyone, no one will let anyone down, and no one will break anyone.”

Salam returned from The Hague late on Monday, shortly after being handed the responsibility of forming the government.

On Tuesday he met with the president and, for a brief period, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri joined the meeting.

According to protocol, Salam delivered his first address to the Lebanese people from the presidential palace, stating his “commitment to the challenging task of serving Lebanon.”

Salam said: “I listened to some concerns yesterday. I am not one of those who exclude or marginalize anyone; rather, I advocate for unity and national partnership, and my hands are extended to all to initiate reforms so that no citizen feels marginalized.”

He added: “The time has come to begin a new chapter rooted in justice, security, progress and opportunities for Lebanon to be a country of free people equal in rights and duties … working to extend the authority of the state over all its territories.”

Salam emphasized the need for the government “to formulate a comprehensive program aimed at fostering a productive economy and ensuring job opportunities for future generations.”

He said: “A significant portion of our population still have their homes destroyed, as well as their institutions, and we must rebuild the villages in the Bekaa, the south and Beirut. Reconstruction is not just a promise but a commitment.”

He also underscored the importance of executing the Taif Agreement, saying: “The foundation of the long-anticipated reforms lies in addressing the provisions of the Taif Agreement that remain unfulfilled and rectifying those that have been implemented.”

Salam called for “the establishment of extensive administrative decentralization, delivering justice to the victims of the port explosion, and compensating depositors who have suffered financial losses.”

He said: “I will guarantee that no citizen experiences feelings of injustice, marginalization, or exclusion.”

Furthermore, Salam highlighted the urgent need to focus on “the complete implementation of Resolution 1701 and the terms of the ceasefire agreement, reinforcing the state’s authority across all its territories, and ensuring the withdrawal of the Israeli army from every part of Lebanon.”

The French Foreign Ministry congratulated Salam on his appointment, wishing him “every success in carrying out his mission, at this historic time for Lebanon. France very much hopes that a strong government, capable of bringing Lebanon together in all its diversity, may be formed as soon as possible to carry out the reforms essential for the recovery of Lebanon and its state, to allow the return of prosperity for the Lebanese people and the restoration of Lebanon’s security and sovereignty throughout its territory.

“The Lebanese premier will be able to count on France’s full support in its missions, to the benefit of all Lebanese people,” the ministry added.

Lebanon’s grand mufti, Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, said that “facilitating the task of the designated prime minister to form a comprehensive national government composed of experts and qualified individuals is a national duty.”

After his meeting with Sheikh Derian, Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Al-Bukhari said: “The Kingdom will always stand by Lebanon and its people.”

He expressed his “satisfaction with the completion of the presidential elections and parliamentary consultations, which promote unity among the Lebanese people and steer Lebanon toward a renaissance both economically and developmentally, in order to pave the way for the reform process and restore the trust of the Arab and international communities.”

Meanwhile, Israeli warplanes resumed their incursions into Lebanese airspace, particularly over Beirut and the southern suburbs.

On Tuesday, the Lebanese army raided the Sadiq compound in Al-Aamroussieh after receiving reports of weapons and ammunition stored underground. But after searching the area — previously targeted by Israel — the army found no weapons or ammunition.