EU Denounces Human Rights Violations in Sudan

 Protesters march during a rally against military rule following coup in Khartoum, Sudan, February 10, 2022. Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/File Photo
Protesters march during a rally against military rule following coup in Khartoum, Sudan, February 10, 2022. Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/File Photo
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EU Denounces Human Rights Violations in Sudan

 Protesters march during a rally against military rule following coup in Khartoum, Sudan, February 10, 2022. Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/File Photo
Protesters march during a rally against military rule following coup in Khartoum, Sudan, February 10, 2022. Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/File Photo

The European Union, Canada, Korea and the United States denounced on Monday the human rights violations reported in Sudan.

A report by the Human Rights Council on its 49th session indicated that the countries condemned the “sustained attempts to unduly limit freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.”

They raised concerns over attacks against journalists, which pose a severe threat to freedom of expression.

In a statement on Monday, Canada, Norway, Spain, France, Japan, Sweden. Germany, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Korea, the United States, the Netherlands and the EU said that protestors have been met with lethal force, activists arrested, local and foreign journalists detained and threatened, and media outlets raided.

“We have also witnessed an increase in hate speech. The overall effect has been to shrink civic space, increase self-censorship and weaken media independence and pluralism.”

The statement stressed that freedom of expression and a free and diverse media are central to democracy.

“They promote transparency, accountability and meaningful participation, which are fundamental to good governance.”

“A free media informs citizens and lays the foundation for healthy public debate that mediates differences and promotes consensus,” the statement read.

The countries called on the de-facto Sudanese authorities to return to commitments made to defend media freedom, including the safety of journalists, and respect the right to peacefully assemble and express opinions free from intimidation.

They reiterated their support for Sudan, noting that as members of the international community, they are steadfast in their support of the Sudanese people to attain these rights.



Sudan's RSF, Allied Groups to Sign Charter to Form Parallel Government, Two Signatories Say

Sudanese refugees wait their turn to get drinking water from a muddy pond in Gerbana, a village 22km from the Sudanese border, South Sudan, 13 February 2025 (issued on 15 February 2025), as water shortages and diseases resulting from contaminated water have become the community's main complaint. (EPA)
Sudanese refugees wait their turn to get drinking water from a muddy pond in Gerbana, a village 22km from the Sudanese border, South Sudan, 13 February 2025 (issued on 15 February 2025), as water shortages and diseases resulting from contaminated water have become the community's main complaint. (EPA)
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Sudan's RSF, Allied Groups to Sign Charter to Form Parallel Government, Two Signatories Say

Sudanese refugees wait their turn to get drinking water from a muddy pond in Gerbana, a village 22km from the Sudanese border, South Sudan, 13 February 2025 (issued on 15 February 2025), as water shortages and diseases resulting from contaminated water have become the community's main complaint. (EPA)
Sudanese refugees wait their turn to get drinking water from a muddy pond in Gerbana, a village 22km from the Sudanese border, South Sudan, 13 February 2025 (issued on 15 February 2025), as water shortages and diseases resulting from contaminated water have become the community's main complaint. (EPA)

Sudan's Rapid Support Forces will sign a charter with allied political and armed groups on Saturday evening to establish a "government of peace and unity" in territories it controls, signatories al-Hadi Idris and Ibrahim Mirghani told Reuters.

The RSF has seized most of the western Darfur region and swathes of the Kordofan region in an almost-two-year war, but is being pushed back from central Sudan by the Sudanese army, which has condemned the formation of a parallel government.

Such a government, which has already drawn an expression of concern from the United Nations, is not expected to receive widespread recognition. Those affiliated with the government say its formation will be announced from inside the country.

General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, head of the paramilitary that has been accused of widespread abuses including genocide, was hit with sanctions by the United States earlier this year.

The war, which erupted after disagreements between the RSF and the army over their integration during a transition towards democracy, has devastated the country, driving half the population into hunger.

According to Idris, among the signatories to the charter and foundational constitution is powerful rebel leader Abdelaziz al-Hilu who controls vast swathes of territory and troops in South Kordofan state, and who has long demanded that Sudan embrace secularism.

Talks that began earlier this week were hosted in Kenya, drawing condemnation from Sudan and domestic criticism of President William Ruto for plunging the country into a diplomatic melee.