UN Expert on Human Rights Calls on Sudan to Investigate Crimes Against Protesters

The UN expert on human rights in Sudan, Adama Dieng, at a press conference in Khartoum on Saturday, June 4, 2022. (AFP)
The UN expert on human rights in Sudan, Adama Dieng, at a press conference in Khartoum on Saturday, June 4, 2022. (AFP)
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UN Expert on Human Rights Calls on Sudan to Investigate Crimes Against Protesters

The UN expert on human rights in Sudan, Adama Dieng, at a press conference in Khartoum on Saturday, June 4, 2022. (AFP)
The UN expert on human rights in Sudan, Adama Dieng, at a press conference in Khartoum on Saturday, June 4, 2022. (AFP)

The United Nations Expert on Human Rights in Sudan, Adama Dieng, concluded his second visit to Khartoum on Saturday.

He did not notice any significant progress in the human rights situation in the country.

Dieng expressed his deep concern at the human rights violations documented since the October 25, 2021 military coup, denouncing the killing of 99 people and the injury of more than 5,000 as a result of excessive use of force by the joint security forces responding to protests.

He stressed that more bold and concrete actions are needed to improve the human rights situation and build confidence.

“I would like to underline that any political initiatives must be founded on human rights if they are to succeed and include justice and reparations for victims and accountability for those responsible for human rights violations,” he told a press conference on Saturday.

During his meeting with Sudanese officials on Friday, a protester was shot dead during the demonstrations to mark the violent dispersal by security forces of the June 3 pro-democracy sit-in in Khartoum in 2019.

Dieng said he was shocked by the killing of the young man.

“I – and many others – had called for restraint on Friday. However, it seems that this call was not heeded and, according to our information, live ammunition was used to disperse protestors,” he stated.

There can be no justification for firing live ammunition at unarmed protestors, he stressed, noting that his killing must be investigated immediately, and the perpetrator prosecuted.

He welcomed in his meetings with the authorities the lifting of the state of emergency and release of detainees arrested under emergency legislation, as well as the release last month of high-profile officials affiliated with the Dismantling Committee.

The UN official also raised his concern at the sexual and gender-based violence and acts of torture and ill-treatment in the course of arrest and during detention and lack of fair trial and due process guarantees.

He further communicated his concern in relation to intercommunal conflicts and large-scale attacks against civilians in Darfur, including the events of April 22 to 24 in Kreinik that claimed the lives of at least 172 people, almost all from the Massalit tribe, and displaced thousands.

He encouraged all Sudanese to contribute to efforts towards a political settlement and resumption of the important legal and institutional reforms started by the transitional government.

Dieng affirmed that the main purpose of his visit was to continue his engagement with the authorities on human rights concerns linked to the coup, follow up on the recommendations he made at the end of his last visit in February, and hear from civil society and victims of human rights violations.

Dieng, a Senegalese national, is tasked with monitoring the developing human rights situation in Sudan with the assistance of, and in close cooperation with, the UN Joint Human Rights Office in Sudan.

In performing his duties, he shall pay special attention to victims and ensure a gender perspective. He shall also engage with all relevant parties, including civil society.

On Sunday, Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan lifted a state of emergency in force since the coup to set the stage for “meaningful dialogue that achieves stability for the transitional period.” However, security forces continued using violence to disperse peaceful protests.



Israeli Army Plans to Remain in Gaza Until End of 2025

Palestinians search the rubble of a house targeted by an Israeli army strike in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinians search the rubble of a house targeted by an Israeli army strike in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
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Israeli Army Plans to Remain in Gaza Until End of 2025

Palestinians search the rubble of a house targeted by an Israeli army strike in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinians search the rubble of a house targeted by an Israeli army strike in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Despite the debate in Tel Aviv between the political leadership and the military establishment over the objective of the fighting in Gaza, sources on Friday confirmed that the two sides agreed on the principle of “continuing and even escalating the war” in the Palestinian enclave.

The political leadership says that defeating Hamas is Israel's main goal while the military leadership says it is a mistake to prioritize fighting over the release of the hostages.

A military official in Tel Aviv said that during high-level security consultations with senior ministers and military officials held early on Friday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved a plan for the army to remain in the Gaza Strip until at least the end of the year.

The plan will become official on Sunday, following a vote by the government cabinet, the official said.

He noted that the Army is expected to call up thousands of reservists as it readies for a significant expansion of its ongoing military operation in Gaza.

Netanyahu also approved a reserve call-up and the movement of troops between the West Bank, Syria and Lebanon, the official added.

He said that calling up reservists was being carried out solely out of “practical and operational interests,” amid mounting letters signed by more than 200,000 veterans calling for a hostage deal with Hamas.

The military official said that the Israeli army’s most important mission remains returning the 59 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza, roughly 24 of whom are presumed alive, while collapsing the group’s rule over the Strip was secondary, contrary to the position of Netanyahu, who said on Thursday that “victory” over the group, not the return of the hostages, was the supreme objective of the war in Gaza.

“The supreme mission that the Israeli army is dealing with is our moral duty to return the hostages. The second mission is defeating Hamas. We are working to advance both goals, with the return of the hostages being at the top (of the list of priorities),” the military official said.

Following the multi-hour security meeting with Netanyahu, an Israeli official told the Ynet news site, “As long as Hamas does not release our hostages, we will significantly deepen our military action. That is what will happen unless Hamas agrees at the last moment to a deal and releases the hostages.”

Last Monday, Hebrew media outlets said Israel rejected a five-year truce proposal with Hamas in exchange for the release of all remaining hostages.

Observers said Netanyahu is now more than ever determined to continue the war. The PM is convinced that a ceasefire will open the door to an internal war aimed at overthrowing his government.

The only obstacle to Netanyahu’s plan remains the position of President Donald Trump’s administration which is pushing for a Gaza ceasefire deal ahead of the President’s mid-May Middle East tour.

Political sources in Tel Aviv said Netanyahu aims to influence Trump's thinking and convince him to endorse his plans for continuing the war in Gaza.