UN Experts Strongly Condemn the Forced Displacement, Torture, and Abuses in Al Gezira State
New York – Sudanhorizon – Agencies
UN experts have strongly condemned recent attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) rebels in Al Jazirah State, citing “disturbing reports” they received regarding “forced displacement, torture, abuse, summary executions, and arbitrary detention of civilians based on their ethnicity.” They warned that these incidents “add to an escalating pattern of atrocities against ethnic minorities that may amount to crimes against humanity.”
According to a report published on the United Nations website two days ago, the experts pointed out that the conflict in Sudan has been marked by a “complete disregard for international humanitarian law and human rights law,” leading to a catastrophic humanitarian situation for the civilian population.
In a joint statement issued Tuesday, the independent experts condemned the sharp rise in violence against civilians in Sudan, where 11 million people—more than half of them children—are now internally displaced.
The UN website quoted the experts as saying, “The indiscriminate use of ammunition and explosive weapons causes immediate injuries and puts civilians at long-term risk. Siege tactics, such as those used against the city of El Fasher, strict restrictions on humanitarian aid by both parties, occupation or destruction of agricultural lands, and attacks on humanitarian workers have exacerbated man-made famine.”
The experts expressed deep concern about the “systematic use of sexual violence as a weapon of war, particularly recently in Al Jazirah State and more broadly throughout the conflict, primarily by the Rapid Support Forces. This widespread campaign targeting women and girls includes rape, sexual enslavement, forced marriage, and human trafficking under conditions of severe violence that amount to torture.”
They noted that the absence of the rule of law has left civilians vulnerable to insecurity and general violence, including armed robbery, looting, extortion, sexual violence, and gender-based violence by criminals, as well as violent clashes between farmers and herders.
The experts also voiced concern over the potential risk of cholera outbreaks among civilians recently displaced by severe seasonal flooding. They added, “The people of Sudan face an impossible situation, caught between conflict, famine, crime, disaster, and disease.”
They called on the international community to support efforts through mediation, diplomacy, and funding for humanitarian responses, as well as to “end illegal arms transfers to the parties involved.