A renowned rights group has called on the International Criminal Court to investigate atrocities in Sudan’s volatile Darfur region, including what it said were “summary executions” of 28 non-Arab tribesmen in May by a Sudanese paramilitary force and allied Arab militias.

According to Human Rights Watch, on May 28, some thousand members of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and their supporters rampaged through the Darfur town of Misterei, home to the non-Arab Massalit tribe.

The Human Rights Watch noted that Arab militias on motorbikes, pick-up trucks, and horses approached Misterei and clashed with Massalit fighters.

The organization added that they also plundered buildings and stole animals and valuables before setting the town on fire.

Thousands of civilians, including women and children, fled as gunmen opened fire, killing many more, according to the group.

The rights body explained that it documented the killing of at least 40 civilians. Local officials said 97 people were killed in the May 28 attack. At least 59 were buried in mass graves, HRW said.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization, also indicated that citizens are still fleeing the violence in Darfur and crossing into Chad, with more than 20,000 walking into the Chadian border town of Adre in the last week alone.

Fighting between the paramilitaries and Sudan’s army erupted in mid-April, initially concentrating in Khartoum. Later, the fighting spread across Sudan, especially Darfur, which witnessed some of the bloodiest fights.

Efforts to bring the conflict to an end have not yielded positive results despite the intervention from the Saudi-US governments.

Afp