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    Sudan: People of Sudan ‘Need Action, Not Sympathy’

    OneAfricaYTBy No Comments3 Mins Read
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    Geneva — “Civilians are not simply caught in the crossfire; they are being deliberately targeted, displaced, and starved.”

    The chair of the UN’s Independent Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan, Mohamed Chande Othman, painted a grim picture of life in the north-east African country, saying the people need action, not sympathy.

    “Sudan is enduring a war of atrocities,” said Othman, speaking about the conflict afflicting Africa’s third biggest country by area on September 9 at the Human Rights Council in Geneva.


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    The civil war began on April 15, 2023, between two rival factions of the military government of Sudan.

    It involves the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (commonly known as Hemedti).

    War crimes

    The UN fact-finding body head said that both the RSF and the SAF, and their respective allies, “have committed war crimes”.

    In the case of the RSF, many acts rise to the level of crimes against humanity, including persecution and extermination, he said.

    “Sexual and gender-based violence has been a defining feature of this war,” Othman rued.

    “The Mission documented rape, gang rape, sexual slavery, abductions, and forced marriage by RSF fighters, often targeting non-Arab women and girls, some as young as 12.”

    He said there is also evidence of SAF committing sexual violence, particularly in detention centres.

    At the same hearing, the United Kingdom’s Human Rights Ambassador, Eleanor Sanders, issued the report of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan: for Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, and the UK.

    “The details contained in the Fact-Finding Mission’s report are, frankly, horrific,” said Sanders.

    She explained that Sudan’s brutal conflict has triggered the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with 8.7 million people on the brink of famine and over 12.5 million displaced.

    “This war must end,” said the UK envoy.

    ‘Push for peace talks’

    “We call on the international community – including regional actors, the African Union and the UN – to use its influence to push for peace talks, unblock humanitarian access, ensure civilian safety, respect the arms embargo, and promote peace and accountability.”