Sudan Rejects UN Call for Independent Force to Protect Civilians Amid Ongoing Conflict.
Sudan:
Sudan has dismissed a recent call by UN experts for the deployment of an “independent and impartial force” to protect civilians affected by the year-long conflict between the army and paramilitary forces. The conflict, which erupted in April of the previous year, has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and triggered one of the worst humanitarian crises globally.
On Friday, the UN fact-finding mission reported “harrowing” violations by both sides, potentially amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity. The experts called for urgent deployment of an independent force to safeguard civilians amid escalating violence.
However, the Sudanese foreign ministry, loyal to the army under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, rejected the UN recommendations on Saturday. The ministry described the UN Human Rights Council, which established the mission, as “a political and illegal body” and criticized the recommendations as “a flagrant violation of their mandate.”
The UN experts revealed that the conflict has displaced eight million people internally and driven another two million into neighboring countries. Over 25 million Sudanese—more than half of the country’s population—are experiencing acute food shortages.
World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, currently in Sudan, described the situation as a “perfect storm of crises,” citing prolonged conflict, displacement, famine, natural disasters, and disease outbreaks. He urged the global community to take decisive action to alleviate the suffering.
In response, the Sudanese foreign ministry accused the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by Burhan’s former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, of targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure. The ministry emphasized the government’s commitment to civilian protection and criticized the UN Human Rights Council for not supporting the national process. It also rejected the experts’ call for an arms embargo.
