UN Mission Reports Abuses Committed by Both Sides in Sudan, Calls for Peacekeepers

By Emma Farge

GENEVA – A recent U.N.-mandated mission has reported that both factions in Sudan’s ongoing civil war have committed serious abuses that could be classified as war crimes. The mission emphasized the urgent need for international peacekeepers and an expansion of the arms embargo to safeguard civilians.

According to the report, which was based on interviews with survivors, relatives, and witnesses, both the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have perpetrated acts of sexual violence against civilians and have engaged in torture and arbitrary arrests.

"The severity of our findings, combined with the inability of the warring parties to protect civilians, highlights the necessity for immediate action," stated Mohamed Chande Othman, chair of the U.N. fact-finding mission, during a press conference.

In the past, both factions have rejected allegations from the U.S. and human rights organizations, each accusing the other of various atrocities. Neither side provided a response to the report on Friday.

Othman and fellow mission members have called for the rapid deployment of an independent force. "We cannot stand by and witness people dying without taking action," remarked mission member Mona Rishmawi, noting that a U.N.-mandated peacekeeping force could be one solution.

The mission has also requested an enlargement of the existing U.N. arms embargo, which currently pertains only to the troubled Darfur region, where numerous ethnic killings have occurred. The conflict, which erupted in Khartoum in April of last year, has since expanded to 14 out of Sudan’s 18 states.

The report indicates that the RSF and its affiliated militias may have committed additional war crimes, including the abduction and forced sexual enslavement of women, as well as the recruitment of child soldiers.

Mission member Joy Ngozi Ezeilo highlighted that various support groups have reported over 400 rapes in the first year of the war, with the actual figure likely being much higher. "The extreme brutality of this conflict is poised to have a profoundly detrimental and long-lasting psychological effect on children," she added.

The fact-finding mission attempted to reach out to Sudanese authorities but received no response. The RSF has purportedly expressed willingness to cooperate with the mission without providing further details.

The fighting originated from a power struggle between the army and the RSF, which had previously shared authority following a coup.

According to aid organizations, civilians in Sudan are grappling with severe famine, widespread displacement, and disease after 17 months of conflict.

U.S.-led mediators reported last month that both parties had committed to enhancing humanitarian aid access during discussions in Switzerland, though the absence of the Sudanese army from these talks has impeded progress.

"We will persist in urging all parties to reach a negotiated resolution that allows the Sudanese people to shape their own political future," stated White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre, reaffirming the administration’s disapproval of the ongoing violence.

The report marks the initial findings from the three-member mission, established by the United Nations Human Rights Council in October 2023. A coalition of Western countries, including Britain, is expected to advocate for the renewal of the U.N. mission in an upcoming meeting, though Sudan is likely to oppose it, insisting that the conflict is an internal issue.