Sudan’s Attorney General and head of the National Committee for the Investigation of Crimes and Violations of National and International Humanitarian Law, Intisar Ahmed Abdel Aal, has called on the UN Human Rights Council to support the Sudanese government’s initiative to end the war.
Speaking at the 62nd session of the Human Rights Council, she said that 149,860 legal cases had been registered, including 385 cases against members of regular forces whose immunity had been lifted.
She also called for the termination of the mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission, which she said had “drifted towards politicising its work”, and urged support for the National Committee based on the principle of complementarity, arguing that Sudan has national judicial institutions that are both capable of and willing to enforce accountability.
She stressed the need for an immediate halt to external support for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), accusing outside actors of backing the group. She also called on the council to urge all states to prevent the recruitment and transfer of mercenaries to Sudan.
The Attorney General accused the RSF of committing widespread and serious violations against civilians, infrastructure and national institutions. She said these violations included war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and grave breaches of national and international humanitarian law.
She said violations in Darfur and parts of Kordofan included killings, forced displacement, rape, looting of property, abductions and arbitrary detention in militia-run detention centres, including in El Fasher and Nyala.
More than 2,200 rape cases recorded
The National Committee for Investigation confirmed that it had registered 149,860 legal cases, including 385 cases against members of regular forces whose immunity had been lifted.
It said 6,158 cases had been dismissed during the investigation stage, while investigations had been completed and cases referred for trial in 21,787 instances. A further 10,417 cases had received judicial rulings.
The committee said it had documented 2,200 rape cases and 1,499 cases of detention and enforced disappearance.
It added that the number of people killed in documented violations had reached 30,071, while 44,061 people had been injured.
The committee estimated the economic damage caused by the destruction of infrastructure at an initial figure of $771bn.
UN High Commissioner
As reported by Radio Dabanga today, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, on Monday condemned the sharp increase in the use of drones in Sudan’s war, saying they had caused the deaths of more than 1,000 civilians during the first five months of this year.
Speaking at the opening of the 62nd United Nations Human Rights Council session in Geneva, Volker Türk said the conflict in Sudan had expanded in scope and intensity, marked by a significant rise in the use of drones in warfare. He also expressed concern over the spread of rape and sexual violence.
