War in Sudan: UN condemns “appalling violations” committed by both camps
The UN human rights chief on Friday condemned "appalling violations and abuses" committed by Sudan's warring army and paramilitaries.
The situation in the country will be discussed during the 55th UN Human Rights Council, which begins this Monday in Geneva, a few days after the publication of a UN report documenting abuses committed by the two belligerents.
Sudanese brandish weapons in the Wad Madani region in support of the regular army, December 29, 2023, in Gedaref.
(illustration) © AFP
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This new United Nations report reveals that the two camps “
carried out indiscriminate attacks in densely populated areas
” between the months of April and December 2023. Some displaced sites were even affected, the report adds, notably in the capital Khartoum, but also in Kordofan, to the south, and Darfur, to the west.
Among the abuses affecting civilians, the report identifies numerous cases of sexual violence: at least 118, sometimes with children among the victims.
Already in November, a group of UN experts warned of widespread sexual violence used as “
an instrument of war
”.
Read alsoWar in Sudan: the al-Burhan camp sets its conditions for a ceasefire
The report also provides credible evidence of a massacre committed against students by the regular army in North Kordofan State.
Several men were reportedly beheaded there by soldiers because of their ethnicity.
For Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, “
some of these violations would amount to war crimes
”.
He calls for a “
rapid, thorough, transparent, independent and impartial
” investigation.
Since April 15, the Rapid Support Forces (FSR) of General Mohammed Hamdane Daglo and the army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan have clashed in Khartoum, but also in the west and south of the country.
A conflict which has left several thousand dead and
displaced nearly eight million people
, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The country is on the verge of “
collapse
” after more than ten months of war, underlines Eddie Rowe, director of the World Food Program (WFP) in Sudan.
According to him, “
less than 5%
” of the 48 million inhabitants “
can afford a full meal
”.
Read alsoWar in Sudan: fighting in North Darfur raises fears of an escalation of the conflict
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