EU: Human Rights Violators in Sudan Will Be Held Accountable

The smoke rises in Khartoum as the war enters its eighth week. (AFP)
The smoke rises in Khartoum as the war enters its eighth week. (AFP)
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EU: Human Rights Violators in Sudan Will Be Held Accountable

The smoke rises in Khartoum as the war enters its eighth week. (AFP)
The smoke rises in Khartoum as the war enters its eighth week. (AFP)

The European Union (EU) said human rights violations in Sudan are being monitored and documented, and those responsible will be held accountable.  

In a statement on Monday, the bloc urged the parties to the conflict in Sudan to ease hostilities immediately, allowing space for the resumption of a credible and inclusive political transition process.  

“We will continue to work with all regional and international stakeholders, including the African Union and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sudan, to achieve these ends.” 

The EU also welcomed the unanimous decision of the UN Security Council to extend until December 2023 the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITMAS). 

Security chaos 

Chaos ensued in Sudan after fighting broke out in mid-April between the military, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo.  

Companies, homes, shops, and banks have been attacked and looted in various regions, including the capital, as the fighting turned residential areas into battlefields.  

The violations also reached hospitals, as armed men occupied many medical facilities, especially in the capital Khartoum and western Darfur region.  

The UN and the international community warned of a future humanitarian crisis after efforts failed to deliver aid due to the security situation. Some relief organizations’ offices were also looted and destroyed.  

On Sunday, Saudi Arabia and the United States urged the warring parties to agree to and “effectively implement” a new ceasefire.  

In their statement, they said they continued to engage representatives of the military and the RSF who remained in Jeddah.  

They urged the warring sides to agree to and implement a new ceasefire after the latest one expired on Sunday.  

The statement said the discussions focused on “facilitating humanitarian assistance” and reaching an agreement on “near-term steps the parties must take” before resuming the talks.  

Meanwhile, violent clashes with heavy weapons continued in Khartoum for an eighth week, while local media reported that the Darfur region bordering Chad had also turned into a battlefield. 



International Criminal Court’s Chief Prosecutor Meets with Syrian Leader in Damascus

This handout picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency SANA, shows Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) meeting with International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Ahmad Khan in Damascus on January 17, 2025. (SANA / AFP)
This handout picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency SANA, shows Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) meeting with International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Ahmad Khan in Damascus on January 17, 2025. (SANA / AFP)
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International Criminal Court’s Chief Prosecutor Meets with Syrian Leader in Damascus

This handout picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency SANA, shows Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) meeting with International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Ahmad Khan in Damascus on January 17, 2025. (SANA / AFP)
This handout picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency SANA, shows Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) meeting with International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Ahmad Khan in Damascus on January 17, 2025. (SANA / AFP)

The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan made an unannounced visit Friday to Damascus to confer with the leader of Syria’s de facto government on how to ensure accountability for alleged crimes committed in the country.

Khan's office said he visited at the invitation of Syria’s transitional government. He met with Ahmad al-Sharaa, the leader of Syria’s new administration and the foreign minister to discuss options for justice in The Hague for victims of the country's civil war, which has left more than half a million dead and more than six million people displaced.

Assad, who fled to Russia in December, waged an oppressive campaign against anyone who opposed him during his more than two decades in power.

Rights groups estimate at least 150,000 people went missing after anti-government protests began in 2011, most vanishing into Assad’s prison network. Many of them were killed, either in mass executions or from torture and prison conditions. The exact number remains unknown.

The global chemical weapons watchdog found Syrian forces were responsible for multiple attacks using chlorine gas and other banned substances against civilians.

Other groups have also been accused of human rights violations and war crimes during the country’s civil war.

The new authorities have called for members of the Assad regime to be brought to justice. It is unclear how exactly that would work at this stage.

Syria is not a member of the ICC, which has left the court without the ability to investigate the war. In 2014, Russia and China blocked a referral by the United Nations Security Council which would have given the court jurisdiction. Similar referrals were made for Sudan and Libya.

Khan's visit comes after a trip to Damascus last month by the UN organization assisting in investigating the most serious crimes in Syria. The International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism for Syria was created to assist in evidence-gathering and prosecution of individuals responsible for possible war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide since Syria’s civil war began in 2011.

The group's head, Robert Petit, highlighted the urgency of preserving documents and other evidence before they are lost.