As reported by France24, Sudan has rejected a proposal from UN experts for the deployment of an “independent and impartial force” to safeguard millions of civilians displaced by more than a year of fighting.
The Sudanese conflict, which began in April of last year between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, has spread to 14 of 18 states, killing tens of thousands of people and displacing millions.
According to the report on the fact finding mission, patterns of widespread violations, including direct and indiscriminate attacks against civilians, hospitals, schools, communication networks, and essential water and electricity supplies, were committed by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF), along with their respective allies.
“The gravity of these findings underscores the urgent and immediate action to protect civilians,” the Chair of the Fact-Finding Mission, Mohamed Chande Othman, explained.
“Given the failure of the warring parties to spare civilians, it is imperative that an independent and impartial force with a mandate to safeguard civilians be deployed without delay.
The protection of the civilian population is paramount, and all parties must comply with their obligations under international law and immediately and unconditionally cease all attacks on the civilian population,” he elaborated.
The report’s conclusion resulted from studies carried out from January to August of 2024 on first-hand accounts from 182 survivors, relatives, and bystanders, in countries including Chad, Kenya, and Uganda.
The report also recommended the creation of an independent global legal system that would support and supplement the ICC, as well as halting the warring groups’ access to arms, ammunition, and other financial and logistical assistance in order to stop the situation from getting worse.
