UN and AU Should Take Bold Action to Protect Sudanese Civilians
United Nations and African Union member states should begin planning a mission to protect civilians in Sudan, where millions of displaced people are at risk of starvation a year and a half after the outbreak of violent armed conflict.
In a new report to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), UN Secretary-General António Guterres outlined steps that member states should take to protect civilians in Sudan and pressure the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its rival Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) to stop committing atrocities. Security Council members are scheduled to discuss this report on October 28.
The recent escalation of fighting in Sudan’s capital Khartoum and Gezira state once again puts civilians at grave risk of deliberate attacks and death or injury from explosive weapons used by both sides. Civilians continue to be tortured and summarily executed. Women and girls suffer from widespread sexual violence.
Guterres called for greater support for local responders and international investigations and for cutting off arms supplies to the warring parties. Human Rights Watch recently found that both sides have acquired new weapons and military equipment that they could use to commit further atrocities, manufactured by companies registered in China, Iran, Russia, Serbia, and the UAE. Guterres also described calls by Sudanese civilians and local and international human rights organizations for a physical protection mission as “an indication of the gravity and urgency of the situation facing civilians.”
Unfortunately, the Guterres report goes on to state that conditions do not allow for the successful deployment of a UN force. But waiting for the outcome of ceasefire negotiations or ideal conditions to deploy a mission is not an option. Civilians need protection now.
Like Human Rights Watch, the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission to Sudan has called for the deployment of a mission to protect civilians. Former Malawi President Joyce Banda wrote that deploying such a mission would not be easy, but “the magnitude of the Sudanese crisis, the intransigence of the warring parties, and the clear and repeated demands of Sudanese civilians and civil society make it imperative that we act.” Guterres recommends that the mission’s presence would reinforce other protection measures.
The Security Council should also immediately extend the current UN arms embargo on Darfur to the entire country, impose sanctions on those responsible for the atrocities, and ensure that they are held accountable.
Neglecting the suffering of Sudanese civilians must end. It is time for action.
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