Army Chief Burhan ordered an investigation into the suspected murders of Gezira

Sudan’s army chief has ordered an investigation into allegations that his troops committed widespread atrocities after taking control of the capital of Gezira province from rivals.

General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s move came after he raised concerns that civilians – including foreigners – could be killed after the capture of Wadi Madani.

Neighboring South Sudan said on Wednesday it had summoned Sudan’s ambassador to protest “the loss of life of our innocent citizens”.

Sudan has been at war since April 2023, when fighting broke out between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Wad Madani, 87 miles (140 km) south of the capital Khartoum, fell to the RSF a year ago. The military retook it on Saturday.

The city serves as a strategic junction connecting several states through key supply highways. It is the closest capital city to Khartoum.

A Sudanese rights group has blamed the military for killing at least 13 people in the village of Camp Taiba, 20 kilometers away.

Sudan’s UN humanitarian chief, Clement Nkweta Salami, said she was deeply concerned by reports of retaliatory attacks against civilians in Gezira based on “identity or ethnicity”.

The US special envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello, called the reports “tragic” and urged the military and its allies to investigate and hold them accountable.

General Burhan has set up a committee to investigate the alleged killings at Camp Taba and asked him to submit a report within a week.

He did not comment on the concerns raised in South Sudan and whether the investigation is focused on crimes allegedly committed in other areas of Gezira.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Sudan has stated that it has received from the embassy in Sudan “a comprehensive report describing the tragic events that have killed our innocent citizens outside of war”.

The military has previously accused the RSF of recruiting South Sudanese as “mercenaries” to fight on its side.

Various social media videos, including one showing a man in civilian clothes being thrown off a bridge and being shot by a group of people, have been widely circulated online.

The BBC confirmed that the video was filmed on the Hantub Bridge over the Blue Nile River.

We compared the highlights in the video, the railroad tracks and the painting on the railroad tracks, to the previous videos on the bridge, as seen in the video.

One of those who took part in the action and carried the Sudanese flag while fighting with the Sudanese army in Khartoum and neighboring regions, wore clothes with the logo of the Al Baraa Bin Malik Brigade.

Two other videos filmed elsewhere show at least 30 bodies in civilian clothes lying on the ground next to the wall.

BBC News has confirmed through satellite imagery that the videos were shot at a location northwest of Wadi Madani where the army appears to have beaten RSF fighters.

It is not clear how the people died and whether they were killed before the bodies were collected there.

It is not uncommon for armed combatants not to wear uniforms, so it is impossible to identify them or their affiliation with any combatant.

Videos of the beating, intense gunfight and its aftermath are also being circulated.

Sudan’s armed forces on Tuesday condemned “individual violations” in parts of Gezira province and promised to prosecute those responsible.

During the 20-month conflict, atrocities were committed by both sides.

In October last year, the RSF itself was accused of carrying out a retaliatory attack in Gezira following the desertion of its commander, Abu Aqla Kaikal.

Kaikal was heavily involved in the campaign that led the army to fight for control of Wade Madani.

Additional reporting by Yusuf Abdullahi, BBC Monitoring.