The UN human rights office (OHCHR) on Tuesday sounded the alarm over escalating rights abuses in Sudan, warning that impunity is driving violations as fighting spreads and more armed groups become involved.
In a new report, UN investigators detailed multiple attacks on civilians, healthcare facilities, markets, and schools, as well as ethnically motivated summary executions.
“The continued and deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian objects, as well as summary executions, sexual violence and other violations and abuses, underscore the utter failure by both parties to respect the rules and principles of international humanitarian and human rights law,” said Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
“Some of these acts may amount to war crimes. They must be investigated promptly and independently, with a view to bringing those responsible to justice,” he added.
Among its key recommendations, the report called for expanding the arms embargo and the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to cover the whole of Sudan – not just the region of Darfur, where atrocities raged unchecked 20 years ago.
