April attack on Sudan IDP camp kills over 1,000 civilians: UN report

GENEVA, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- The attack of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in North Darfur state from April 11 to 13 this year has killed 1,013 civilians, including 319 who were executed, the UN human rights agency said Thursday.

According to the report released by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, during the offensive on the Zamzam camp, the RSF committed widespread killings, rape and other forms of sexual violence, torture, and abductions.

The report described those actions as "a consistent pattern of serious violations of international humanitarian law and gross abuses of international human rights law."

Zamzam IDP camp is located about 15 km south of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.

In a statement linked to the report, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said, "Such deliberate killing of civilians or persons hors de combat may constitute the war crime of murder."

He stressed that there must be an impartial, thorough, and effective investigation into the attack on the camp, and that those responsible should be held accountable in fair proceedings in accordance with international law.

The report said its findings are based on monitoring conducted by the UN Human Rights Office, including interviews carried out in July with 155 survivors and witnesses in eastern Chad. ■