The United Nations (UN) human rights chief on Wednesday called out Sudanese warring military generals to stop the senseless fighting in Sudan, put an end to sexual violence, and spare the lives of civilians, describing the country’s situation as heartbreaking, reported The UN News.
Fighting has been taking place between Sudan’s military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 15. A number of cease-fire agreements have been brokered, yet none managed to completely cease the fighting.
The current cease-fire, being monitored by Saudi Arabia and the United States, began on Monday and is meant to last for seven days, with the possibility of an extension. It is meant to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid, with hopes it could pave the way for a more lasting pause in the deadly clashes.
On Wednesday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, made an appeal to the leaders of the Sudanese army and paramilitary force RSF, to “issue clear instructions” to those under their command that sexual violence will not be tolerated, and to ensure that all perpetrators are held accountable.
He described reports of sexual violence in Khartoum and Darfur as extremely troubling. He said that the human rights organization was aware of at least 25 cases, but, he feared the real number to be much higher.
“General al-Burhan, General Dagalo… you must stop this senseless violence now,” he said during a Geneva press briefing.
The UN human rights chief stressed that efforts to bring the conflict to an end must have human rights at their core.
Meanwhile, the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that the fighting in Sudan has displaced more than 1 million people so far inside the country. An estimated 319,000 people have crossed into neighboring countries, including Egypt, South Sudan, Chad, Ethiopia, the Central African Republic, and Libya.
