The trial of the Rapid Support members who attacked Marawi Airport begins

The Public Prosecutor stated that Ismail Muhammad Abdullah, an influential person in Merowe, was the eighth accused. He helped “Rapid Support” set up the area near Merowe Airport so they could use it as a headquarters for their operations. As a result, he directly helped and enabled the defendants to commit the crimes that occurred in the airport’s theater of operations.

Khalifa emphasized that the defendants’ allegations call for the worst punishment possible, pleading with the court to apply the harshest penalty possible to create both public and private deterrence. He continued by saying that certain individuals had already been found guilty but had not yet been taken into custody.

Notably, this committee declared on October 17 that it had finished the investigation process into eight complaints in which the Rapid Support leaders and their allies were charged with violating Articles (50/51) of the constitution and inciting a state of war against the government. The complaints were referred to the judiciary.

In August, the head of the Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, issued a decision to form a war crimes committee and inventory the violations and practices of the Rapid Support Forces since mid-April, headed by Khalifa.

The ongoing battles in Sudan – since mid-April – have left more than 4,000 dead, most of them civilians, and about 3 million displaced and refugees inside and outside the country, according to the United Nations.