A resolution condemning violations of humanitarian law in light of the continued violence that has engulfed Sudan in recent weeks was approved by the UN Human Rights Council on Thursday.
The resolution was approved by 18 nations and rejected by 15, including Sudan itself, with 14 abstentions. It condemned abuses of international law on both sides of the war and increased the mandate of an expert monitoring group in the nation.
The escalating violence was severely denounced by Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and a group of UN specialists on Thursday cautioned that the conflict was having a disproportionately negative effect on civilians.
The expert panel specifically encouraged the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces to immediately halt hostilities and, in particular, to stop aiming their weapons against infrastructure and civilians.
Since the battle started, hundreds of people have perished and many have been injured, including women and children. Additionally, the situation has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes in search of safety.
According to reports, civilians of all ages are being subjected to a range of human rights violations, such as sexual assault and gender-based violence, as well as looting, shortages of food, water, healthcare, including reproductive healthcare, fuel, and other essential goods and services, and breakdowns in communication channels.
The experts also called for unimpeded access to life-saving assistance and humanitarian aid, political negotiations for a civilian-led government, and accountability for violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.
