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HRC 54: Resolution on Sudan, UK statement - 11 October 2023
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The Council will now consider the draught proposal L18 entitled Responding to the Human Rights and Humanitarian Crisis caused by the Ongoing armed conflict in the Sudan, and now I give the floor to the representative of the United Kingdom to introduce the draught text.
You have the floor.
Well, thank you, Mr.
President, and I am honoured to present on behalf of Germany, Norway, the United States and the UK, draught Resolution L18 on Sudan, which seeks to establish an independent and international fact finding mission for Sudan.
Mr.
President, this weekend will mark six months of conflict in Sudan.
Since April, reporting from the United Nations and statements from the **** Commissioner to this Council have laid bare the human cost of this conflict.
We've been told of the more than 5 million Sudanese displaced by the conflict and 25,000,000, almost half the population, who are in dire need of humanitarian assistance.
We've heard reports of civilians being indiscriminately bombed in their homes in Khartoum by the Sudanese army because RSF soldiers were hiding nearby, of civilians being directly targeted in the most horrific acts of violence by the RSF.
And there are those in Darfur, actions which bear all the hallmarks of the atrocities of 20 years ago and of horrific sexual violence against women and girls, including children being raped and killed or kidnapped, and of even more violations in the abuses beside these tragic ones.
Mr.
President, there is, in our view, an urgent need to investigate and gather evidence of human rights violations and abuses and violations of international law, no matter where in Sudan they were committed or by whom they were committed.
That is precisely what this proposed fact finding mission would do.
No other UN mechanism or organisation currently working in or on Sudan is set up to do this.
Nor, indeed were they ever intended to respond to a conflict such as the one we see.
And that includes the mandate of the designated expert, whose important work we deeply appreciate and who we will, of course continue to support.
We strongly believe that establishing this fact finding mission represents a necessary and proportionate step in this Council's response to the deepening crisis in Sudan.
We therefore urge our fellow members of this Council to adopt the draught resolution before us and, should a vote to be called, to vote in favour.
Thank you.