Nearly three years of war have plunged Sudan into an abyss of unimaginable dimensions and human rights must be at the centre of efforts to end the fighting and build lasting peace, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Sunday in Nairobi.
In war-torn Sudan, local communities say they dont have enough settlements for the internally displaced, few solutions for women who have suffered sexual violence and theres a lack of aid available for people with disabilities.
Volker Trkbriefed journalistsin the Kenyan capital following a five-day mission to Sudan, wherea chronicle of cruelty is unfolding before our very eyes.
He called onall those who have any influence, including regional actors and notably those who supply the arms and benefit economically from this warto act urgently to bring it to an end.
Mr. Trk last visited Sudan in November 2022. Back then, he was deeply inspired by civil societyparticularly the young people and women who spearheaded the 2018 revolution.
Salute to the peoples struggle for peace
While the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has plunged the country into an abyss of unfathomable proportions affecting the entire nation and all its people the spirit of the struggle for peace, justice and freedomis not broken, he affirmed.
I bore witness in Sudan tothe trauma of the unspeakable brutality that people have suffered but also to the resilience and defiance of the human spirit.
Mr. Trk met with various sectors of society, including young people who organise and deliver aid to their communities often in the face of massive bureaucratic hurdles, risking detention and violence.
As one volunteer told him,
End intolerable attacks on infrastructure
The rights chief highlightedattacks on critical civilian infrastructure, such as the Merowe dam and hydroelectric power station which once supplied 70 per cent of electricity needs nationwide.
It has been repeatedly hit by drones launched by the RSF, including in recent weeks. Such attacks are serious violations and can amount to war crimes.
He called for both warring parties to cease intolerable attacks against civilian objects that are indispensable to the civilian population, including markets, health facilities, schools and shelters.
Mr. Trk also met people displaced from the besieged city of El Fasher in North Darfur who are now living in the Al Afad camp some 1,200 kilometres away. Among them was a four-year-old who lost his hearing due to bombardment and a three-year-old who wouldnt smile.
One woman saw her husband and only son killed," he said. "She is still bedridden from grief, trauma, and the bullet she took in her shoulder while trying in vain to shield her son.
Womens bodies weaponized
He shared the testimony of Aisha*, 20, who was fleeing El Fasher on a donkey cart in October when armed men on camels ordered the women to come down. Her brother tried to intervene but was shot, while her mother begged the men to take her instead of the children.
she told Mr. Trk.
In Sudan,women and girls bodies have been weaponized, he said. Sexual violence is being used as a weapon of war also a war crime and it is widespread and systematic.
The UN rights chief also heard accounts of widespread summary executions. He underlined that all parties to the conflict have perpetrated gross violations and abuses of international human rights law and serious violations of international humanitarian law, notably when the fighting intensifies to control new areas.
Concern for the Kordofan region
He expressed deep concern thatatrocity crimes committed inf El Fasher are at risk of being repeated in the Kordofan region, where fighting has intensified since late October. This is happening amid famine conditions in the city of Kadugli and risk of famine elsewhere, including Dilling, he said in a stark warning.
He deplored theproliferation of advanced military equipmentacross Sudan, particularly drones, saying it is despicable that large sums of money are being spent on procuring increasingly advanced weaponry funds that should be used to alleviate the suffering of the population.
Another concern isthe increasing militarization of societyby all parties to the conflict, including through the arming of civilians and recruitment and use of children. Civil society and journalists are also facing restrictions or being targeted through smear campaigns.
Focus on the Sudanese people
The UN rights chief concluded his remarks by calling on the warring parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, guarantee safe passage for people to leave conflict areas, and ensure unimpeded access for the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Measures, such as humane treatment of detainees, accounting for and establishing the fate of missing persons, and releasing civilians detained for alleged collaboration with the opposing party are also priority areas, he added.
Mr. Trk repeated the plea that he made when he last visited Sudan.
I urge all those involved to set aside entrenched positions, power games, and personal interests, and to focus on the common interests of the Sudanese people, he said.
Again, I leave with a plea that human rights be central to building confidence and bringing this war to an end, to resuming the difficult task of building a sustainable peace.
This is difficult, he acknowledged, but certainly not impossible, with the resilience and power of the Sudanese people.
*Name changed for protection purposes.
