The leader of Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has declared an investigation into what he called violations committed by his soldiers during the capture of el-Fasher.
The announcement by Gen Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, came after escalating reports of civilian killings following the RSF takeover of the city in the Darfur region on Sunday.
He spoke after international outrage about reports of mass killings in el-Fasher, apparently documented by his paramilitary fighters in social media videos.
The RSF has since released footage showing the arrest of a fighter accused of carrying out executions in el-Fasher.
Footage previously verified by BBC Verify showed a man, known online as Abu Lulu, shooting unarmed individuals outside el-Fasher.
However, the UN's top humanitarian official, Tom Fletcher, expressed concerns that the RSF's assurances to protect civilians contradict the disturbing reports emerging from the region.
“There must be accountability for those carrying out the killing and the sexual violence," he stressed in an address to the UN Security Council.
The Security Council strongly condemned the assaults and called for humanitarian corridors to ensure safe passage for those fleeing the violence.
Despite Dagalo's claims of an investigation into the violations committed by RSF fighters, many observers doubt the effectiveness of such promises, given past occurrences of unfulfilled pledges to address violence against civilians.
According to the Sudan Doctors Network, over 460 people, mostly patients and their companions in the last operational hospital in el-Fasher, were shot dead amid the RSF's takeover, which has also resulted in horrific reports of assaults and executions.
As the situation remains critical and the humanitarian crisis deepens, calls for international pressure on the RSF's supporters, including allegations against the United Arab Emirates, continue to grow.
