(MENAFN) A federal jury in the United States has determined that French financial powerhouse BNP Paribas is responsible for facilitating genocide in Sudan.

The jury concluded that the bank’s financial dealings empowered the Sudanese government during a brutal conflict that resulted in the deaths of thousands and the displacement of millions across the African nation.

This decision, reached on Friday in Manhattan, follows a lengthy legal battle stemming from BNP Paribas’ violation of U.S. sanctions by conducting financial transactions involving Sudan.

The civil lawsuit, initiated in 2016, was brought forward by Sudanese refugees now residing in the United States.

During the proceedings, the plaintiffs submitted documentation showing that BNP Paribas transferred billions of dollars through the American financial infrastructure on behalf of Sudanese government agencies between 2002 and 2008.

These transfers helped the administration of then-President Omar al-Bashir maintain access to oil profits and procure essential goods, all while government troops and their allied militias carried out widespread atrocities.

The legal focus was on the Darfur region, where violence erupted in 2003. In this conflict, state forces and Janjaweed militias launched attacks specifically targeting non-Arab populations.

According to estimates from the United Nations, over 300,000 individuals lost their lives and approximately 2.5 million were forced to flee their homes during the campaign of terror.

The jury awarded a total of $20.45 million in compensation to three plaintiffs of Sudanese origin, as reparation for BNP Paribas’ role in abetting the atrocities committed during the conflict.

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