United Nations-affiliated human rights specialists have called for the creation of an ‘independent and impartial force’ in Sudan and a broader ban on weapons supply apposite to safeguard the non-combatants in the course of the intensifying flight. In the report issued on Friday, the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan highlighted that systematic gross human rights abuses and international law have been perpetrated by the warring factions in Darfur, which, if established, may constitute war crimes and genocide.
The Sudanese civil war, which commenced in April 2021 between the Sudanese Armed Forces spearheaded by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces led by former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, has affected 14 of Sudan’s 18 states, thus leading to the death of tens of thousands of people besides causing millions of people to flee from their homes.
It submitted the 19-page report based on the investigations of 182 survivors and witnesses conducted between January and August 2024. It demonstrated that both SAF and RSF used forcible sexual violence and torture on civilians. It specifically accused the RSF of committing “numerous crimes against humanity,” such as murder, torture, and forced displacement.
The experts also urged that any arms embargo must be total and span all of Sudan because a stop to the supply of weapons is imperative to put an end to the killings. They urged this to stop funding any side to the struggle.
The report has also called on the Sudan authorities to support the ICC and hand over all indicted persons, including the former Sudanese President, Omar al Bashir, who was removed from power in 2019. The mission
