Sudan Crisis: UNHRC passes resolution on human rights abuses amid worsening conflict

With an aim to further scrutinize human rights violations taking place in Sudan since April 15, the United Nation’s top human rights body adopted a resolution Thursday that drew attention to mounting civilian deaths and rights abuses in Sudan since a bloody conflict erupted between the African country’s two top generals last month.

The violence in Sudan has so far killed more than 600 people, including civilians, and displaced hundreds of thousands. The fighting has also spread to other regions, namely the restive Darfur province.

The Human Rights Council made up of 47 UN member states narrowly passed the resolution with 18 states voting for the resolution, 15 against and 14 other nations abstaining. The resolution aims to further scrutinize human rights violations taking place in Sudan since April 15.

The fighting in Sudan started as a result of a power struggle between the chief of Sudan’s military Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and rival Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who commands the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

Arab and African nations, including Sudan, featured heavily among the 15 countries that rejected the UN move, citing it as a potential barrier to talks underway in Saudi Arabia.

Algeria’s representative, Faouzia Boumaiza-Mebarki, said the resolution could send a negative message to the opposing sides and scupper the talks. Likewise, China’s ambassador said the country and its warring parties should be free from external pressure.

Most Western countries voted in favour, with Europe and the United States having co-sponsored the draft resolution. Late in the day, the US State Department announced that representatives of the two forces had signed a declaration recognising their responsibilities to facilitate humanitarian action to meet the emergency needs of civilians.

The statement said the talks would now focus on arranging an effective ceasefire of up to approximately ten days to facilitate humanitarian efforts. The rivals agreed to enable the safe delivery of humanitarian assistance, the restoration of essential services, the withdrawal of forces from hospitals and clinics, and the respectful burial of the dead, the announcement said.

During the opening speech of the session, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk accused both forces of violating international humanitarian law.

Turk criticised the Sudanese military for launching attacks in densely populated areas and the RSF for taking over numerous buildings in the capital, Khartoum, to use as operation bases, evicting residents and launching attacks.

The UN has raised concerns about the plight of civilians caught in the crossfire and worries about food security and aid deliveries and urged support for neighbouring countries hosting people fleeing the ongoing violence. We have also received several reports alleging sexual violence by uniformed men, as well as allegations of unlawful killings and enforced disappearances, Turk said.

Echoing Turk’s remarks, the US ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council, Michle Taylor, condemned the targeting of hospitals and healthcare providers. Amid the fighting, numerous hospitals across Khartoum have been damaged and forced to close.

From ‘beacon of hope’ to humanitarian disaster

Türk reminded the Council that in 2019 Sudan appeared as a “beacon of hope” after popular protests with women and youth “at the forefront” toppled Omar al-Bashir’s three-decade-long dictatorship. He spoke of his visit to the country six months ago – his first mission as UN rights chief – when a transition to civilian rule was on the horizon.

Recalling his meetings at the time with both rival generals, the UN rights chief said that his message had been to insist on accountability and human rights as essential to any future agreement.

“Today, immense damage has been done, destroying the hopes and rights of millions of people,” Türk said.

To date, more than 600 people have been killed in the fighting, more than 150,000 have fled Sudan, and over 700,000 have become internally displaced. Record levels of hunger are expected in the country in the coming months.

Urgent call for peace

The UN rights chief underscored the desperate need for a humanitarian truce and an end to human rights violations.

While noting that despite “intense” diplomatic efforts by actors including the African Union, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the League of Arab States and the United Nations, the leaders of the SAF and RSF have not agreed to discuss ending hostilities, the High Commissioner called on the parties to the conflict to “urgently commit to an inclusive political process and to a negotiated peace”.

The Council later in the afternoon passed a resolution echoing this call and demanding “detailed” rights monitoring of the situation in the country, to be undertaken by the recently designated independent human rights expert, Radhouane Noucier. The new mandate will begin “with immediate effect”.

The resolution was adopted by a vote of 18 in favour, 15 against, and 14 abstentions.

It called for an immediate cessation of hostilities “with no pre-conditions”, and a recommitment of all parties to return to a transition towards civilian-led government. The resolution also highlighted the urgent need to protect civilians and humanitarian workers, as well as to ensure accountability for human rights violations.

‘Immense suffering’, rights abuses

The experts deplored human rights abuses experienced by “civilians of all ages”, including sexual assault and gender-based violence, and shortages of food, water and healthcare. The experts expressed alarm at the shelling of a shelter for girls with disability in Khartoum, as well as other attacks on healthcare, humanitarian workers and human rights defenders.

With inputs from agencies.

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