Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The European Union strongly condemns the ongoing fighting in Sudan as well as the continued refusal of the parties to the conflict to seek a peaceful solution. “We will continue to work with our partners, including Sudanese civil and political figures as well as civil society actors,” EU spokesperson Luis Bueno wrote on Twitter this morning. For a permanent ceasefire, the EU spokesperson in the Middle East and North Africa region attached his tweet to the publication of the text of the statement issued in this regard by the Office of the Supreme Coordinator for Foreign Policy in the EU in Brussels on Wednesday evening.
Concurrently, UN officials expressed their shock and condemnation at the increase in gender-based violence in Sudan - including conflict-related sexual violence against girls, displaced women and refugees.
In a joint press release published on Wednesday, the UN officials called for an immediate cessation of gender-based violence, including sexual violence, as a tactic of war to terrorize people.
They also called for prompt, thorough, impartial and independent investigations into gross violations and abuses of human rights and serious violations of international humanitarian law, and for the perpetrators to be held accountable.
The statement was issued by the directors of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the United Nations Office for Human Rights, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNICEF, the United Nations Population Fund, UN Women and the World Health Organization.
The statement also stressed the need for all parties to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law and human rights law in order to protect civilians, including girls and women. This includes providing safe ways for survivors to access health care, and allowing health workers to access health facilities.
Participants in the statement urged the need for immediate strengthening of GBV prevention and response services in Sudan and neighboring countries where those affected seek safety.
Difficulty reporting violations
The statement indicated that since the outbreak of the conflict in Sudan, the United Nations Human Rights Office has received credible reports of 21 incidents of conflict-related sexual violence against at least 57 women and girls. In one incident, around 20 women were raped in the same attack.
The statement indicated that given that many cases of gender-based violence are not reported in Sudan, the real number may be much higher, noting that reporting violations and seeking help may be difficult - and perhaps impossible - due to the lack of electricity and communication outages, In addition to the lack of humanitarian access due to the unstable security situation.
UN officials said that the risk of sexual violence increases especially when girls and women move in search of safer areas, stressing that "there is an urgent need to increase assistance in reception sites for the displaced and refugees in affected areas in Sudan, as well as in neighboring countries."