Sudan has dismissed a request from United Nations (UN) experts for the deployment of an independent and impartial force to safeguard millions of civilians displaced by over a year of conflict.
Since April of the previous year, fighting between the Sudanese army and paramilitary forces has led to the death of thousands and sparked one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.
In a report released on Friday, independent UN experts revealed “harrowing” human rights violations by both factions, stating that these may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. They urged the immediate deployment of a neutral force with the mandate to protect civilians.
However, Sudan’s foreign ministry, aligned with the army under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, issued a statement late on Saturday rejecting the UN mission’s recommendations. The ministry condemned the UN Human Rights Council, which established the fact-finding mission, labelling it a political and illegal body and calling its recommendations a “blatant overreach of its mandate.”
The UN experts reported that eight million civilians have been displaced within Sudan, with a further two million fleeing to neighbouring countries. Over 25 million people, more than half of Sudan’s population, now face severe food shortages.
In its statement, Sudan’s foreign ministry accused the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by General Burhan’s former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, of deliberately targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure.
The ministry reaffirmed that “the protection of civilians remains an absolute priority for the Sudanese government,” and argued that the UN Human Rights Council should support national efforts rather than attempting to impose external mechanisms.
The statement also rejected the experts’ recommendation for an arms embargo on Sudan.