Mr. President,
We thank the High Commissioner for his update.
For three years, the world has failed civilians in Sudan.
What happened when El Fasher fell was a massacre foretold. The conflict has since shifted to neighboring Kordofan region, where civilians once again face the risk of mass atrocities.
In a recent visit to Eastern Chad, Human Rights Watch heard harrowing accounts from survivors and members of affected communities about atrocities committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), including massacres of fleeing civilians, sexual violence including rape, gang rape and sexual slavery, and the detention and summary execution of large numbers of men and boys. We found clear indications that the RSF was targeting non-Arab communities based on their ethnicity.
One woman told us how she was held by the RSF for 10 days and repeatedly gang-raped. She said a 13-year-old girl abducted alongside her died because of injuries sustained during rape.
Survivors said that obtaining justice is critical -- they want RSF leaders held accountable for their crimes.
Concrete action is urgently needed to protect civilians and advance accountability.
Among other measures, we urge states present at this Council to:
- Ensure the Fact-Finding Mission and the OHCHR have adequate resources, and access to Sudan and neighboring countries, to carry out their important and distinct yet complementary work.
- Implement the Fact-Finding Mission’s recommendations on accountability, including supporting and protecting the work of the International Criminal Court, calling for the expansion of its jurisdiction to cover crimes across Sudan, and encouraging universal jurisdiction cases.
- Sanction those responsible for these grave international crimes, and increase pressure on states that continue their military support to the RSF.
Thank you.
