Sudan rejects UN mission report highlighting violations by warring parties

Khartoum, SUDAN

Sudan has rejected a report by the UN Commission of Inquiry which accused the warring parties in the country of serious human rights violations that could amount to war crimes.

The State Department said in a statement released late Saturday that the report “exceeded its mandate.”

The conflict in Sudan began when clashes between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) escalated into open warfare. After 17 months of war, civilians are facing famine, mass displacement and disease.

The UN mission said on Friday that both parties to the conflict had committed a “horrific range of human rights violations” that could potentially amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

She called for an immediate end to attacks on civilians and urged the deployment of an independent and neutral force to protect the population.

The UN also recommended extending the arms embargo in Darfur, as set out in UN Security Council Resolution 1556 and subsequent resolutions, to the whole of Sudan. This measure aims to stem the flow of weapons, ammunition and other support to the warring parties and prevent further escalation of the conflict.

The Sudanese ministry criticized the mission's actions and accused it of a lack of professionalism and independence because it published the report before submitting it to the UN Human Rights Council.

She described the fact-finding mission as “political, not legal” and argued that its recommendations went beyond its mandate.

The statement accused the mission of allying itself with “known international forces” that have long been hostile towards Sudan, but did not name any specific nations.

The government suggested that the mission's actions were part of a broader effort to influence the positions of UN member states and expand the mission's mandate.

Khartoum particularly criticized the recommendation to extend the arms embargo to the Sudanese army, which it said was fulfilling its constitutional and moral duty to protect the country and its people.

* Written by Ikram Kouachi

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