On Friday, the UN body agreed to a resolution to create an independent fact-finding mission in Sudan. The members supported the resolution without a vote in an emergency session in Geneva. The almost unanimous agreement shows how serious and important the concern is for the reported mass killings in al-Fashir. Rapid Support Forces took Al-Fashir in October after fighting between the RSF and the Sudanese army.
Mission will investigate killings, and hold perpetrators responsible
The mission will investigate the public violations in al-Fashir. It will also pursue those responsible for the atrocities committed by RSF fighters and allied groups, and individuals. The UK’s ambassador said the mission would “preserve evidence for future accountability.” This is to ensure the maintenance of important evidence for future prosecutions.
UN Human Rights chief issues stern warning
The UN human rights chief, Volker Turk, stated that the international community needed to act. “We have seen too much pretending and performing, not enough action,” Turk said. “The world must reject ‘a show of open brutality used to subdue and control an entire population.” RSF continues to deny attacks against civilians, insisting that any violations conducted isolated to renegade actors.
New violence in Kordofan causes concern
Turk also mentions the increase in violence in Kordofan. He warned of bombardment, blockades, and displacements that could affect millions of people. Kordofan, located between the RSF-controlled region of Darfur to the west and eastern states controlled by the army, is becoming increasingly contested as RSF fighters continue to push south into central Sudan. The takeover of al-Fashir on October 26 was the culmination of RSF’s dominance of Darfur after two and a half years of civil war.
UN experts describe horrific abuses
The UN experts heard some shocking stories from al-Fashir, with witnesses reporting alleged rape, torture, and mass executions. According to UN Expert Mona Rishmawi, “RSF fighters have turned Al Fasher University into, effectively, a killing ground,” with supposedly thousands of people on campus seeking refuge. People even observed body counts piling up in streets, and trenches around the city punctuated the landscape. “I think it’s safe to say that only a really thorough investigation will give us an idea of the horrors,” Rishmawi said as she wrapped up her discussion.
Draft resolution condemns ethnic killings
The draft language condemning “the extreme scale of reports of killing on the basis of ethnicity and the utilization of rape as a weapon of war” was firmly unreserved. However, the draft resolution did not have reference for an investigation of outside actors possibly assisting the RSF, which the ambassador of Sudan called out as a key distinction between the account of human rights violations and the draft resolution. He explained Sudan is now seeing an “existential war,” and that the international community has not responded to ongoing calls for support that alerted them the militias were receiving support.
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UAE denies supplying RSF weapons
Sudan’s army assert the UAE is supplying weapons to the RSF, and that assertion has been substantiated by United Nations experts as credible along with some members of US Congress, but the UAE ambassador in Geneva, categorically rejected any involvement, insisting the UAE is not supporting either side in the conflict.
Calls for humanitarian access
The UK, EU, Norway and Ghana supported the resolution, warning that the violence in Sudan threatens wider regional stability as well. The text calls, in particular, for humanitarian assistance to be provided immediately to areas facing famine. Women fleeing al-Fashir reported on killings, systematic rape and sexual violence, and drone strikes on civilians. As the fighting continues around the devastated city, many remain trapped.
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