{"id":20137134,"date":"2026-09-08T10:04:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T08:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/?p=20137134"},"modified":"2026-09-08T12:04:50","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T10:04:50","slug":"un-human-rights-council-urged-to-widen-sudan-arms-embargo-and-extend-fact-finding-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/en\/all-news\/article\/un-human-rights-council-urged-to-widen-sudan-arms-embargo-and-extend-fact-finding-mission","title":{"rendered":"UN Human Rights Council urged to widen Sudan arms embargo and extend fact-finding mission"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The UN\u2019s Sudan fact-finding mission has urged the Human Rights Council to expand the Darfur arms embargo to the whole country, warning that foreign support is sustaining a war in which both sides may have committed war crimes. Sudan\u2019s government, however, rejects efforts to treat the warring parties as equivalent and says the conflict is being prolonged by external backing for the Rapid Support Forces.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of the violations documented in Sudan may amount to international crimes, and responsibility could extend to those who finance, supply, or otherwise enable them, Mohamed Chande Othman, chair of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan, told the 63rd session<\/a> of the Human Rights Council at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland on Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said drones had reshaped the battlefield, fuelled by external support in the form of weapons, logistics, and personnel, while the growing use of long-range drones had had devastating consequences for civilians and essential services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mission is continuing its investigation into attacks in El Obeid, which have forced civilians to flee, as well as attacks on Kadugli, Ed Daein, and Yabus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Othman said both sides had committed violations that may amount to war crimes. He described a cross-border network facilitating military operations involving the United Arab Emirates, Chad, Libya, which he said had supplied weapons to Nyala.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colombians had also been recruited into the Rapid Support Forces to operate drones and provide training, he said, adding that the mission\u2019s investigation into external support for the Sudanese Armed Forces was continuing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Witnesses face intimidation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Othman said states had a responsibility not only to refrain from violations, but also to take reasonable measures to prevent them where there was a clear and foreseeable risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Survivors, witnesses, journalists, lawyers, and human rights defenders face intimidation and harassment from all parties to the conflict, both inside and outside Sudan, particularly because of their cooperation with investigative missions, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He called for an end to reprisals and said the international community had a responsibility to act rather than merely document violations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mission recommended an immediate end to the war, full compliance with international human rights and humanitarian law, and all possible precautions to protect civilians and civilian objects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It called for unlawful military support to be halted, and urged states to investigate individuals and entities under their jurisdiction that provide such support. It also called for the Darfur arms embargo to be enforced and expanded across Sudan<\/a>, echoing proposals before the UN Security Council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mission urged the preservation of evidence, protection for victims and witnesses, and effective assistance and remedies for survivors, while calling for accountability across the full chain of responsibility, including those who commit, order, finance, supply, or facilitate international crimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sudan rejects wider arms embargo and equivalence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sudan\u2019s attorney general and head of the National Committee for the Investigation of Crimes and Violations of National and International Humanitarian Law, Intisar Abdel Aal, presented a sharply different account of the conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She described the war as a \u201cproxy war\u201d, citing multiple international reports, and directly accused the United Arab Emirates of being the \u201csponsor of the rebel militia\u201d, saying its external support for the Rapid Support Forces was the main reason the war had been prolonged and atrocities committed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She called for the UAE to be condemned and for decisive action to stop its support, but rejected calls to expand the arms embargo, describing them as the adoption of demands made by the \u201crebel militia\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abdel Aal also pointed to the work of Sudan\u2019s national investigation committee, saying it had made significant progress as the Sudanese Armed Forces advanced and security was restored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The attorney general announced the launch of a Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue for peace, declared by the chair of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, and said participants would be provided with guarantees and immunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Arab League and African Union had welcomed the dialogue, she said, adding that justice and peace were complementary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 153,000 criminal cases<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The National Committee for Investigation has documented 153,112 criminal cases in accordance with national and international standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Immunity was lifted in 391 cases involving members of regular forces, while 6,862 cases were withdrawn during the investigation stage. Investigations were completed in 22,608 cases and referred to national courts, which ruled on 10,733 cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The attorney general said the committee had documented 2,261 cases of rape against women and girls, 15,227 cases of detention and enforced disappearance, 32,622 deaths, and 443 injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She called on the council and UN mechanisms to follow the principle of complementarity rather than imposing external mechanisms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Backing for fact-finding mission<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The European Union called for all states and external actors to stop actions and support that fuel the conflict, and backed the renewal of the Fact-Finding Mission\u2019s mandate to allow it to continue collecting and preserving evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The eight Nordic and Baltic countries also called for the mandate to be renewed and for the mission to be granted access to Sudan, stressing its role in documenting violations, preserving evidence, and laying the foundations for accountability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their statement said external support was helping sustain military operations and strengthening the capacities of the warring parties. It urged all states to halt funding and support enabling the conflict, and called on the parties to agree to a sustainable ceasefire, protect civilians and humanitarian workers, and ensure safe and unhindered humanitarian access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luxembourg expressed deep concern about drone attacks on civilians and protected infrastructure, calling for full respect for the Darfur arms embargo and stronger mechanisms to track arms transfers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together, the European Union, Nordic and Baltic countries, and Luxembourg backed continued international scrutiny and measures aimed at preserving evidence, strengthening accountability, and preventing further violations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sovereignty and competing accounts of the war<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kenya\u2019s representative, speaking on behalf of the African Group, emphasised a third strand of the debate, stressing the need to respect Sudan\u2019s sovereignty, unity, and independence, and calling for African solutions to African problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The representative called for efforts to be coordinated under the auspices of the African Union and Arab League, condemned interference in Sudan\u2019s internal affairs that fuels the conflict, and stressed the need to continue dialogue towards democratic transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement welcomed the Sudanese government\u2019s cooperation with relevant actors and said the state bore the primary responsibility for promoting human rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Egypt\u2019s representative went further in rejecting the equivalence drawn by some international assessments between the warring parties. He said Sudanese people continued to pay the price for violations committed by the Rapid Support Forces, rejected any attempt to equate the army with the RSF, and opposed interference in Sudan\u2019s affairs and threats to its unity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact-finding mission \u2018indispensable\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

DefendDefenders described the Fact-Finding Mission as indispensable and said the conduct of the warring parties showed a complete disregard for international law and their obligations under the Jeddah Declaration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It said about 70 civil society organisations had called for the mission\u2019s mandate to be extended in full for two years, with sufficient resources and expertise to continue documenting violations, investigating alleged crimes, and preserving evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The organisation called for the mission\u2019s findings, including its urgent investigation into El Obeid, to feed into wider accountability efforts by the Human Rights Council and the UN system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also urged the international community to give greater priority to Sudan, saying the UN General Assembly could submit the mission\u2019s reports to the Security Council, while actors with influence over the warring parties should address the role of external forces in sustaining the conflict and enabling atrocities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Note: This report has been<\/em> translated from Arabic<\/em><\/a> with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools, and subsequently reviewed and adapted by a human editor before publication.<\/em><\/p>\n