Khartoum: Europe and the Arabs
The United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Alice Wairimu Nderitu, expressed alarm at serious allegations of ethnically motivated violence and deliberate attacks against medical personnel and facilities, in escalating clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces - which could constitute International crimes. According to what was stated in the United Nations daily news bulletin, a copy of which we received on Friday morning
In a statement issued yesterday, Thursday, Nderito expressed her deep concern about the escalation of violence in Sudan since the middle of this month, especially in Wad Madani, El Fasher, and Nyala. She said that the clashes in Wad Madani led to random killings, attacks against civilians, injuries, looting, and arrests, amid allegations that a number of them were committed on the basis of identity. She also reiterated her fears that the continuing spread of violence could engulf the entire country.
She added: “After eight months of sustained fighting and horrific levels of violence, with every sign of atrocity crimes visible, the cycle of violence continues. The most vulnerable continue to pay the price, those who beg for safety and justice, and who receive neither.”
The Special Adviser called for renewed international attention to the Sudanese crisis, which does not seem to have an end in sight, and stressed that the situation in the country “cannot and must not become a forgotten crisis.”
“The world must respond to the atrocities in Sudan,” she said. “The brutal terrorism and violence that is already being inflicted on entire communities, simply because of who they are, shows in the most horrific terms what will continue to happen unless urgent international attention is directed to this situation.”
The Special Adviser reiterated her call on all parties to the conflict to lay down their arms and stop targeting civilians immediately. It reminded the parties of their obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law, as well as the obligations they made to protect civilians in the Jeddah Declaration.
“It is not just that such attacks were not avoided, but on the contrary, all indications point to their deliberate commission,” she said. Nderito said that the deliberate targeting of people based on their identity was preceded by dehumanization and hate speech. The UN official referred to her meetings with Sudanese refugees in Chad in October, and said that she listened to brave people who described in great detail the violence they and their families were subjected to.
The Special Adviser said: “They were targeted with words – like the word ‘slaves’ – before they were targeted with weapons. They were subjected to rape and sexual violence. This continues today. The deprivation of humanity precedes the deprivation of life. This is unacceptable and must stop.” "Immediately. The voices of those who were able to escape this brutal violence, and who can now tell their stories, must be heard and taken with the highest level of seriousness. They speak on behalf of those who cannot, and continue to cry for justice and demand a true cessation of the violence."