Cairo: A prominent human rights organisation demanded on Friday that the United States and the UN impose additional sanctions on those in Sudan who are "responsible for the atrocities" in the troubled Darfur region, where there is growing proof of scorched-earth attacks.

In April, months-long tensions between the military, led by Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, under the command of Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, broke out into open combat in the nation's capital, Khartoum, and other locations. According to UN officials, Darfur, the scene of a genocidal war in the early 2000s, has descended into ethnic violence as a result of attacks by the RSF and allied Arab militias on African communities in the western region.

Human Rights Watch suggested in a press release that the United States implement targeted sanctions to "ensure that the UN Security Council finally acts to protect civilians and to hold those responsible for the atrocities to account." On August 1, the US assumed the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council.

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According to satellite footage and witness accounts examined by the New York-based watchdog group, at least seven villages and towns have been nearly completely destroyed or burned to the ground in West Darfur alone. These include Sirba, Mejmere, Misterei, Molle, Murnei, and Habilla Kanari.

Tirana Hassan, executive director of HRW, stated that "the world should not stand by as town after town in West Darfur is burned to the ground, sending tens of thousands of civilians fleeing for their lives."

The US imposed sanctions in June against four significant businesses that were either affiliated with or owned by the opposing factions. Additionally, the White House imposed visa restrictions on members of the army, the RSF, and the former administration of ousted President Omar Al-Bashir. It did not state which people were impacted.

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The International Criminal Court is seeking Al-Bashir, who presided over Sudan for more than 30 years, on charges of war crimes and genocide related to the Darfur conflict.

Later on Friday, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Norway demanded an end to the bloodshed in Darfur in a joint statement. The ongoing violence was denounced by the three nations, "especially reports of killings based on ethnicity and widespread sexual violence by the Rapid Support Forces" and affiliated militias.

There have been at least nine temporary cease-fire agreements between the military and the RSF since the most recent fighting broke out in mid-April, the majority of which were mediated by Washington and Riyadh during cross-party talks in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah. All of the truces, though, failed.

Karim Khan, a prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, informed the UN last month that he would be looking into claims of new war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur.

Amnesty International separately charged both sides in the conflict earlier this week with committing serious war crimes, such as the intentional killing of civilians and widespread sexual assault. According to Amnesty, the RSF and its affiliated Arab militias are to blame for almost all rape cases.

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The RSF kidnapped 24 women and girls, some of whom were as young as 12, according to HRW's 56-page report, and held them "for several days during which they were raped by several RSF members."
According to the most recent government statistics, which were released in June, the conflict in Sudan, which has now lasted almost four months, has killed more than 3,000 people and injured more than 6,000 others. Doctors and activists believe that the actual number is probably much higher.

According to statistics from the UN migration agency, the fighting has compelled 4 million people to leave their homes in search of safety in other parts of Sudan or in neighbouring nations.
20.3 million people in the nation "face severe hunger," according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on Thursday.