UN urges sending peacekeepers to Sudan, imposing arms embargo

Due to the surge of attacks on civilians by both warring sides in Sudan, the UN urged sending peacekeepers to the country and imposing an arms embargo there.

The call was made by the UN’s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan following its first report.

The report said Sudan’s warring parties have committed an appalling range of harrowing human rights violations and international crimes, including many which may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

“Both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), as well as their respective allies, were found to be responsible for patterns of large-scale violations, including indiscriminate and direct attacks carried out through airstrikes and shelling against civilians, schools, hospitals, communication networks and vital water and electricity supplies,” the UN said.

Crimes included sexual violence, arbitrary arrest and detention, as well as torture and ill-treatment, it said.

“The gravity of these findings underscores the urgent and immediate action to protect civilians,” said Mohamed Chande Othman, Chair of the Fact-Finding Mission.

The conflict, which has spread to 14 of the 18 states in Sudan, has killed and wounded tens of thousands of civilians, displaced nearly 8 million people and forced two million more to flee to neighboring countries. The warring parties have exacerbated the crisis by obstructing humanitarian access, the report said.