A surprise move puts RSF leaders before the UNSC

Human Rights Watch called on the UN Security Council to take decisive and urgent action to halt the escalating violations resulting from the war in Sudan, ahead of the Council’s upcoming meeting dedicated to discussing the humanitarian and security situation in the country. In its statement, the international organization demanded the imposition of additional and stricter sanctions on the leaders of the Rapid Support Forces, as well as targeting the regional entities and parties that provide them with support, including the United Arab Emirates. This call follows simultaneous international warnings issued by the Security Council on June 20 regarding the imminent risk of mass atrocities in the city of El Obeid, followed by a similar warning from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, on June 18, in which he drew attention to documented reports confirming a suffocating military siege of the city.

In a related development, the organization revealed intelligence and field evidence it had gathered recently indicating that hundreds of Colombian military contractors had transited through military facilities and bases in the United Arab Emirates, en route to the front lines in Sudan to bolster the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Human Rights Watch explained that many Western and international governments have begun to express their deep concern more publicly and clearly regarding the escalating violations and war crimes, emphasizing the need for international efforts to cut off the military supply lines and external support received by the rebel forces.

The organization concluded its statement by calling on regional and international leaders, particularly in Africa, to take immediate and public action to halt any facilitation or support provided to the RSF, and to use their political and logistical influence to curb the atrocities being committed against civilians. She stressed that international inaction and delays in taking effective deterrent measures directly contribute to the deteriorating humanitarian situation on the ground, noting that innocent civilians are paying an increasingly heavy price for the continuation of this armed conflict.