Sudan’s military-led government has dismissed a UN fact-finding mission’s recommendation for an international force to protect civilians amid the country’s ongoing civil war.
The UN mission reported severe human rights abuses committed against civilians by both sides in the conflict.
Since the outbreak of violence in April 2023 between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), thousands have died and nearly eight million people have been displaced.
The conflict began after the army and RSF, who had previously orchestrated a coup together, turned against each other, leading to the current civil war.
Chande Othman, the lead of the UN mission, stressed the urgent need for an independent and impartial force to protect civilians, stating,
“Given the warring parties’ failure to protect civilians, an independent force must be deployed immediately.”
The mission also called for an arms embargo on both conflicting sides.
The mission’s findings were based on testimonies from 182 survivors, family members, and witnesses.
The UAE is accused of supporting the RSF with funds and arms an allegation it denies while Saudi Arabia is reportedly aligned with the Sudanese government.
In response, Sudan’s foreign ministry rejected the fact-finding mission’s recommendations entirely,
labeling the UN Human Rights Council as a “political and illegal body” and claiming that the mission’s suggestions violated its mandate.
The RSF has yet to respond to the proposal.
Meanwhile, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization (WHO), has called on the global community to address the crisis in Sudan.
During a visit to Port Sudan, the new base for the government and aid agencies, he described the situation as “shocking” and criticized the insufficient response to the ongoing suffering.
In August, a UN-backed expert committee declared a famine at a camp for around 500,000 displaced people near el-Fasher in Darfur, one of the hardest-hit regions.
Despite various mediation efforts led by Saudi Arabia and the US, the conflict remains unresolved.
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