Tagadom calls for expanding the ICC Jurisdiction in Sudan

The Coordination-body of the Democratic and Civil Forces (Tagadom) emphasized the need for the international community to respond to the recommendation of the Fact-Finding Mission to expand the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to include all crimes committed during the ongoing war in Sudan, and to bring the perpetrators to trial.

Continued Violations

The Coordination-body warned in a press statement issued by the official Spokesperson, Abdul Karim Saleh, of the ongoing violations against civilians since the outbreak of the war on the 15th of April.

The statement shared that the Southern Belt area in Khartoum witnessed continued aerial bombardment and raids launched by the Sudanese Armed Forces’ warplanes, causing civilian casualties, martyrs and wounded.

The Coordination-body added in its statement that the locality of (Um Rawaba) in North Kordofan state witnessed -after (SAF) and its allied armed groups regained control of the locality- the liquidation of a number of civilians, some of whom were slaughtered. Amongst the victims was the Director of the Education Department in (Um Rawaba) and a leader in the National Umma Party (NUP), Professor Al-Tayeb A’beid Allah, alongside others.

After the Sudanese Armed Forces managed to regain control of other areas in Khartoum Bahri, these areas witnessed similar crimes against civilians, which included, but weren’t limited to; slaughter and shooting the victims to death.

The Necessity of a Response

In its statement, the Coordination-body of the Democratic and Civil Forces (Tagadom) condemned these heinous crimes and violations against civilians, describing them as a flagrant violation of human rights and International Humanitarian Law, calling on both parties to the conflict to cease all acts targeting civilians and fulfill their obligations under the Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan.

Tagadom reiterated the need for the international community to respond urgently and immediately to the recommendation of the Fact-Finding Mission formed by the Human Rights Council to expand the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court to include all crimes committed in the ongoing war in Sudan as of April 15th, 2023, and to bring all perpetrators to justice and trial.

The Coordination-body stated that the continuation of this bloody war has led to catastrophic consequences for civilians and exacerbated their daily suffering, which in turn necessitates an immediate end to it.

In conclusion, Tagadom stressed that the only solution to stop these repeated violations is to end the war completely, stop all military operations targeting innocent citizens, and restore the path of democratic civil transformation, in order to hinder all efforts put forth by the enemies of the revolution and democracy, in addition to working to build a State that respects human rights and preserves the dignity of its citizens.