Attorney General Addresses the Human Rights Council and Demands a Halt to Emirati Support for the Rebel Militia
The Attorney General, Ms. Intisar Ahmed Abdel Aal, addressed the Human Rights Council in her capacity as head of the National Commission of Inquiry into Crimes and Violations of National Law and International Humanitarian Law. She reviewed the key findings of the Commission’s fifth progress report.
The Attorney General emphasized that the National Commission’s participation in the session was aimed at informing the Council of national efforts to achieve justice, redress for victims, and prevent impunity. She stressed that this does not affect Sudan’s principled stance on the Commission of Inquiry and the resolution establishing it.
Her Excellency explained that the National Commission, operating with complete independence and in coordination with the relevant judicial authorities, has documented numerous patterns of crimes and violations committed by the rebel militia against civilians, infrastructure, and national institutions. These crimes, in many cases, amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, including the targeting of civilians based on ethnicity, murder, forced displacement, rape, looting, kidnapping, arbitrary detention, and violations committed in militia detention centers, such as Shalla Prison in El Fasher and Daqris Prison in Nyala.
The Attorney General revealed unprecedented figures documented by the National Commission, with 149,860 criminal cases registered, including 385 cases against members of the regular forces who have had their immunity lifted. Investigations have been completed in 21,787 cases referred to national courts, and 10,417 cases have been adjudicated to date.
Regarding the scale of the violations, the Attorney General explained that the committee documented 2,200 cases of rape, 14,999 cases of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance, 30,971 killings, and 44,617 injuries. The economic losses resulting from the destruction of infrastructure were estimated at approximately US$771 billion as an initial assessment.
The Attorney General reiterated Sudan’s full commitment to the principle of accountability and non-impunity, and welcomed any professional and constructive cooperation with the Human Rights Council mechanisms that have the government’s approval, contributing to achieving justice for victims, while respecting Sudan’s sovereignty and the jurisdiction of its national institutions. She also stressed that halting external support for the militias is a fundamental step towards ending the war and reducing violations.
In closing, the Attorney General called on the international community to support the Sudanese government’s initiative to end the war, to implement the principle of complementarity in supporting and bolstering ongoing national efforts in the areas of justice and accountability, and to work towards halting external support for the militias from their main sponsor, the UAE, and preventing the recruitment and deployment of mercenaries to Sudan.