Sudan’s Foreign Ministry has called on the international community to take a unified stand against militias and force them to unconditionally cease all hostilities.
In a statement, the ministry condemned the militias’ “serious violations of international humanitarian law” and “terrorist practices” in the Sudanese states of Jazeera and West Darfur.
The ministry said that militias are currently besieging a number of villages and towns in Jazeera, forcing young men to join their ranks or invading the villages and subjecting their residents to a variety of abuses, including looting and killing.
The ministry also said that militias are carrying out ethnic cleansing and mass killings in West Darfur, targeting villages and rural areas that are devoid of any military presence.
“These practices require the international community to take a unified stand against the militias,” the statement said. “The militias must unconditionally cease all hostilities and evacuate cities, villages, and civilian objects.”
The ministry also called on the international community to ensure that the militias are held accountable for their crimes and violations of international humanitarian law.
