{"id":20099840,"date":"2024-09-08T13:02:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-08T11:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/?p=20099840"},"modified":"2024-09-08T15:46:09","modified_gmt":"2024-09-08T13:46:09","slug":"un-report-sudan-peacekeeping-mission-imperative-amid-appalling-harrowing-human-rights-violations-and-crimes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/en\/all-news\/article\/un-report-sudan-peacekeeping-mission-imperative-amid-appalling-harrowing-human-rights-violations-and-crimes","title":{"rendered":"UN report: \u2018Sudan peacekeeping mission imperative\u2019 amid \u2018appalling, harrowing human rights violations and crimes\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The first report by the UN\u2019s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan, published on Friday, accuses Sudan\u2019s warring parties of \u201can appalling range of harrowing human rights violations and international crimes\u2026\u201d and calls for \u201can independent and impartial force with a mandate to safeguard civilians be deployed without delay\u201d. The Sudanese government has \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d the report, and reiterated its refusal to cooperate with the mission.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first report<\/a> by the mission<\/a>, that was established in October 2023<\/a> \u2013 that it intends to present at the 57th<\/sup> session of the council next week, asserts that \u201cSudan\u2019s warring parties have committed an appalling range of harrowing human rights violations and international crimes, including many which may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Sudan\u2019s warring parties have committed an appalling range of harrowing human rights violations and international crimes, including many which may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity\u2026\u2019 \u2013 UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), as well as their respective allies, were found to be responsible for patterns of large-scale violations, including indiscriminate and direct attacks carried out through airstrikes and shelling against civilians, schools, hospitals, communication networks and vital water and electricity supplies, the mission\u2019s report finds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The warring parties also targeted civilians \u2013 as well as those assisting survivors or documenting violations \u2013 through rape and other forms of sexual violence, arbitrary arrest and detention, as well as torture and ill-treatment. These violations may amount to war crimes related to violence to life and person and committing outrages upon personal dignity, the report found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Given the failure of the warring parties to spare civilians, it is imperative that an independent and impartial force with a mandate to safeguard civilians be deployed without delay\u2026\u2019 \u2013 Mohamed Chande Othman, Chair of the UN\u2019s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe gravity of these findings underscores the urgent and immediate action to protect civilians,\u201d said Mohamed Chande Othman, Chair of the Fact-Finding Mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGiven the failure of the warring parties to spare civilians, it is imperative that an independent and impartial force with a mandate to safeguard civilians be deployed without delay,\u201d Othman said. \u201cThe protection of the civilian population is paramount, and all parties must comply with their obligations under international law and immediately and unconditionally cease all attacks on the civilian population.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sudan govt rejects report<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sudan\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement yesterday denouncing the report by the mission. It describes the mission\u2019s publication of the report before the UN Human Rights Council session as \u201ca lack of professionalism and independence [\u2026] and proving that it is a political body and not a legal one, which reinforces the position of the Sudanese government that has rejected it since its formation\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018The [UN mission\u2019s] recommendations exceed the limits of its mandate\u2026\u2019 \u2013 Sudan Foreign Ministry<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIts recommendations exceed the limits of its mandate, in line with actions witnessed in the international arena by forces known for their hostility to Sudan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ministry\u2019s statement asserts that the pre-publication of the report amounts to \u201cpropaganda work before the start of the council\u2019s deliberations aims to influence the positions of member states to achieve certain political goals, most notably extending the mission\u2019s work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Geneva Institute for Human Rights (GIHR)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nazar Abdelgadir<\/a>, human rights lawyer, and executive director of the Geneva Institute for Human Rights (GIHR) told Radio Dabanga on Friday that one of the most important recommendations made by the report is to send a peacekeeping force to protect civilians in implementation of a number of resolutions issued by the UN Security Council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe [mission\u2019s] recommendation come within the framework of the insistence of both parties to continue the war and the continuation of serious human rights violations that, according to the report, amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity,\u201d he said. \u201cThe importance of these recommendation is that they will be by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to the UN General Assembly, which in turn will refer the report and the recommendations to the UN Security Council to issue a new resolution regarding the situation in Sudan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historical precedents<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abdelgadir expects two decisions to be taken in the upcoming conference session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva: \u201cThe first will be the extension of the fact-finding mission\u2019s mandate, and the second will refer the file to the UN secretary-general in New York, who in turn will refer it to the Security Council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is not the first time that an UN mission is investigating the human rights situation in Sudan,\u201d he said, and recalled the war in Darfur where a fact-finding mission recommended referring the entire file to the International Criminal Court in The Hague in early 2005.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He expects that the UN Security Council will pass a resolution concerning the protection of civilians and rules out that China and Russia will use their veto right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey will not oppose such a resolution, given historical precedents, which indicate that neither of them has ever used the veto power regarding Sudan. In some cases they abstained from voting. The best evidence of their position is the recent resolution<\/a> regarding a ceasefire in El Fasher.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lawyer further said he expects the upcoming peacekeeping mission \u201cwill be hybrid again<\/a>. Understandings will be reached with the African Union to make it a hybrid mission between the UN and the AU, which is also confirmed by historical evidence, given that the AU is primarily concerned with the situation in Sudan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018No need for Sudanese government approval\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He concluded by saying that the protection of civilians does not require the approval of the Sudanese government, \u201cif it would have been recognised as a government\u201d, because the UN is currently dealing with two parties as the de facto authorities are represented by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and there is no need to obtain the consent of these parties to deploy a UN or hybrid force to protect civilians\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UN peacekeepers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 31, 2007, more than four years after civil war erupted in Darfur, the joint United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) was established, with the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1769. The mission was tasked with protecting civilians in the region, facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance, mediate between the Sudanese government and rebel movements, and provide support to community conflict mediation, in conjunction with UN country team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2020, Sudan\u2019s then transitional government of Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, asked the United Nations Security Council to establish a Special Political Mission\/Peace Support Operation to assist in the peace process and help Sudan to mobilise international financial assistance. This resulted in the formation of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), which was in operation until it was finally wound down<\/a> in February this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This followed months of friction between the junta and the mission, during which former UNITAMS head Volker Perthes, had a tenuous relationship with the Sudanese military government, especially since the start of the hostilities between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perthes, who was interviewed by Radio Dabanga<\/a> in May last year, resigned in September, citing ongoing pressure on his person from the Sudan junta, including being declared persona non grata<\/a>, which made is position untenable. The UN said at the time that the junta declaration was contrary to the obligations of States under the Charter of the United Nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres voiced his candid frustration<\/a> regarding Sudan at a press conference in New York at the time. Guterres lais the blame for the ongoing war and humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan squarely at the feet of \u201ctwo generals that completely disregard the interests of their population\u201d.<\/p>\n