The Sudanese prosecutor general's office has indicted in absentia Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the commander of the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, for war crimes, local media reported Thursday.
The committee investigating war crimes, human rights violations, and other crimes attributed to the RSF had formed a list of the people indicted, which includes Dagalo, his three brothers and several other people, according to the media.
"We demand that they surrender at the nearest police station within a period not exceeding two weeks after the publication of this statement. We also ask the population to assist in their apprehension," the media reported, citing the prosecutor general's office.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said earlier on Thursday that UN experts were alarmed by "reports of brutal and widespread use of rape and other forms of sexual violence" by the RSF. The Sudanese Foreign Ministry welcomed the UN Office's report.
On April 15, violent clashes broke out between the Sudanese army and the RSF, with their epicenter in Khartoum. The parties to the conflict have introduced a number of temporary nationwide ceasefires since then, but none has helped in settling the conflict yet. The United Nations estimates the death toll from the conflict in hundreds, while the Red Cross has warned that extended hostilities risk crumbling the country's healthcare system.