UN declares arms and air embargo and
sending UN force to Sudan
On Friday, UN’s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan shared details about recommending an arms embargo and the dispatch of a peacekeeping force to protect civilians and prevent war crimes or crimes against humanity.
The 19-page report issued by the Mission, based on (182) interviews with survivors, their families and witnesses, stated that the Sudanese Army was responsible for attacks on civilians, torture and arbitrary detention.
“The gravity of these findings underscores the urgent and immediate action to protect civilians,” stated Mohamed Chande Othman, Chair of the Fact-Finding Mission, calling for the deployment of an independent and neutral force without delay.
Both parties to the conflict have previously denied accusations by the United States and human rights groups of committing abuses and have traded accusations of being behind them. Both parties have yet to respond to a request for comment – made on Friday, or issue a statement in response to the report.
The UN’s Fact-Finding Mission called for expanding the scope of an existing UN arms embargo that currently applies only to the country’s western region of Darfur. The war broke out in Khartoum in April last year and has since spread to (14) of Sudan’s (18) states.
The Mission shared that the reported violations may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity.
The Fact-Finding team stated that it had made multiple attempts to reach out to the Sudanese authorities on several occasions but had received no response.
Last month, United States-led Mediators stated that they had secured commitments from both sides at talks in Switzerland to improve humanitarian aid delivery mechanisms, but the absence of Sudan’s military from the discussions had hampered the progress.
This is the first report by the three-member Mission since it was set up by the UN Human Rights Council in October 2023.
Western countries including the United States and Britain will call for the Mission’s mandate to be renewed at a meeting starting next week, and diplomats expect opposition from Sudan, which views the war as an internal matter.
