UN representative receives protest memorandum demanding lifting of El Fasher siege
The Citizen – Mona Al-Ihimir
The National Mechanism for Lifting the Siege of El Fasher, in cooperation with the Peoples’ League, organized a protest in front of the United Nations building in Port Sudan on Monday to denounce the “international silence” regarding the suffering of civilians in El Fasher at the hands of the rebel militia.
The committee submitted a memorandum to the United Nations, which was delivered to the Assistant Secretary-General, demanding immediate action to lift the siege on the city and save the lives of civilians.
The head of the Legal Department, Abdulnabi Daifa, delivered the protest memorandum demanding the lifting of the siege of El Fasher and Kadugli to the Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations in Port Sudan. He also considered the events in El Fasher and Kadugli a violation of international law and called on the United Nations to take urgent action to lift the siege on civilians and punish the rebel militia for the violations committed against the Sudanese people.
After receiving the memorandum, the Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations in Sudan, Denise Brown, stated that she had arrived in Sudan within days of her nomination to represent Secretary-General António Guterres. She stated that Sudan is a key partner of the United Nations, and explained that the Secretary-General places the issue of Sudan at the top of the UN’s programs, and that they are closely following the developments in El Fasher. She confirmed that the United Nations is making efforts to reach El Fasher and Deling, adding that they are deeply concerned about the suffering of the people there.
For his part, the Sultan of Darfur, Salah al-Din al-Fadl, called on the United Nations to take urgent action to save the lives of civilians in El Fasher and expose the militia’s violations. He said that the submission of the protest memorandum to the United Nations reflects the silence of the United Nations and international organizations regarding the horrific violations and atrocities committed against the besieged civilians in El Fasher and Kadugli. He asked, “Why this suspicious silence?” He added, “We demand international justice for the repeated violations committed by the rebel militia against the people of El Fasher.”
Meanwhile, chieftain Yaqoub Adam emphasized that the militia committed “serious violations against civilians, including siege and starvation,” calling on the international community to intervene urgently.
The head of the Supreme Council for the Coordination of Abyei Dinka Affairs in Sudan, Chowal Moyen Bol, emphasized that the protest memorandum submitted to the UN official informs world leaders of the Sudanese people’s strong commitment and their rejection of the world’s procrastination in their case against the rebel Rapid Support Forces and the countries that cooperated with the militia. He added, “The Sudanese people have dignity in humanity, and we have the right to live in peace and dignity and to be present on the global map.” He continued, “We have a country called Sudan, a member of the United Nations.
For her part, the Women’s Representative, Dr. Rashida Ahmed, said, “We came to the United Nations headquarters today in Port Sudan to hear the voice of justice that has been long silenced.” She revealed the suffering that women in Sudan have been subjected to due to the atrocities and violations committed by the rebel militia in the ongoing war with the armed forces. She added, “Our message to the world is about the violations and the physical and psychological violence, forced displacement, and ongoing loss of decent livelihoods that our women in El Fasher, Darfur, and Kordofan have been subjected to.” She continued, “The blatant violations that women in El Fasher are subjected to will remain a deep wound in the conscience of humanity, and no power in the world can justify this silence in the face of the suffering of women and children.” She said, “This painful reality is not just numbers, but real stories documented by the rebel militia itself regarding the killing of women.” She added, “The United Nations and the international community have sufficient documented facts about all the militia’s grave violations.” Rashida called on the United Nations to condemn these violations globally, as well as the foreign parties supporting them and prevent them from supplying the militia with money and weapons. She emphasized the need to declare the rebel militia against the Sudanese state a terrorist organization and hold it accountable for its actions that violate human morality.