Mr. President.
We welcome this convening and thank the panelists for their stark reporting on the atrocities unfolding in and around El Fasher.
Human Rights Watch has analyzed videos filmed by the RSF, showing their fighters celebrating over dead people, executing apparent civilians, including injured people. In one, an RSF soldier executes an older man in civilian clothes inside the Faculty of Medicine in a room already littered with bodies.
The horror of the abuses in El Fasher is tragically familiar. The RSF has committed crimes against humanity and war crimes throughout the current conflict.
The High Commissioner has also issued a “stark warning” that Kordofan could be next, [1] and specifically reported on “emerging of serious violations in the context of the RSF capture of Bara in North Kordofan.”[2]
These atrocities might have been prevented. This latest wave of atrocities should mark a turning point.
Ongoing investigations by the Fact-Finding Mission are crucial to supporting accountability. We urge all states and the UN to support their work and ensure they have the necessary resources to conduct urgent dedicated investigations into these atrocities and identify the individuals suspected of committing them. These efforts should also feed into the International Criminal Court investigations.
Immediate steps notably by the UN, to sanction those most responsible, and publicly condemn those providing military support to the RSF, including the United Arab Emirates are key. Sudanese civilians should be centered in all discussions about responding to ongoing atrocities.
