At the 58th session of the Human Rights Council, UN experts and civil society have highlighted the gravity of the situation in Sudan and reiterated the urgent necessity of ensuring respect for principles of international law. As the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk stated “The continued and deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian objects, as well as summary executions, sexual violence, and other violations and abuses, underscore the utter failure by both parties to respect the rules and principles of international humanitarian and human rights law”. [1]
On March 2025, the Coordination des Associations et des Particuliers pour la Liberté de Conscience submitted a written statement on behalf of victims of violence committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan. The written statement drew on the findings of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan, which has collected evidence of attacks on civilians, widespread killings, rape and other forms of sexual violence:
RSF and its allied militias committed the war crimes of rape, sexual slavery, and pillage, as well as ordering the displacement of the civilian population and the recruitment of children below 15 in hostilities. Horrific assaults carried by the RSF and its allies against non-Arab communities (…) included killings, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence, destruction of property and pillage.
(…) the acts committed by RSF and its allied militias amount to numerous crimes against humanity, including murder, torture, enslavement, rape, sexual slavery, other sexual violence of comparable gravity, persecution on the basis of ethnic and gender targeting, and forcible displacement.[2]
The written statement also addressed foreign involvement in the conflict, citing a recent investigation that revealed in particular the support of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in supplying weapons to the RSF under the guise of humanitarian aid. In September 2024, the New York Times published: “It (the UAE) is even using one of the world’s most famous relief symbols — the Red Crescent, the counterpart of the Red Cross — as a cover for its secret operation to fly drones into Sudan and smuggle weapons to fighters, satellite images show and American officials say”. [3]
Key recommendations made on behalf of the victims and submitted in the written statement included:
- Calling on all Member States to exert pressure on the RSF to implement the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law, including the prohibition of targeting civilians, the protection of essential infrastructure, and the cessation of any form of sexual violence as a weapon of war.
- Urging all Member States to support humanitarian efforts by providing essential aid to victims.
- Ceasing the supply of arms, ammunition, and military materials to the RSF.
- Engaging in constructive dialogue and supporting peace talks.
- Cooperating with and supporting investigations conducted by the International Criminal Court to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable.
[1] Sudan: Entrenched impunity fuelling gross human rights violations and abuses, UN Press release, 18 February 2025, https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/02/sudan-entrenched-impunity-fuelling-gross-human-rights-violations-and-abuses.
[2] UNHR Office of the Commissioner, Sudan: UN Fact-Finding Mission outlines extensive human rights violations, international crimes, urges protection of civilians, UN Press Release, 6 September 2024, https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/09/sudan-un-fact-finding-mission-outlines-extensive-human-rights-violations.
[3] D. WALSH, C. KOETTL, How a U.S. Ally Uses Aid as a Cover in War, 21 September 2024, https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/21/world/africa/uae-sudan-civil-war.html
