12 October 2023 Sudanese civil society organizations signatories to the letter released on September 20, 2023welcome the resolution of the United Nations Human rights council (HRC) on 11 October, establishing an independent international fact-finding mission for Sudan in response to the widespread violations of human rights and international humanitarian law that have been committed since the outbreak of the ongoing war on 15 April 2023.
On 20 September, nineteen Sudanese civil society organizations sent a joint letter concerningthe human rights situation in Sudan to the members of the HRC. The letter called on the HRC to fulfill its duty and investigate all the abuses and violations of the international human rights law, the violations of human rights laws, and related crimes that have been committed in Sudan since 15 April 2023.
The Sudanese civil society welcomes the mandate granted to the mission, the international experts, and the independent expert, in order to investigate violations, document, collect and preserve evidence for the purposes of criminal proceedings, and identify the perpetrators, and also cooperate with international, regional and national initiatives for justice and accountability.
We commend the role of the member states of the HRC that adopted and supported the resolution. We also commend the role of all national, regional, international organizations that contributed to the advocacy campaign that called for the formation of an international mission to investigate the violations committed in Sudan.
We urge the de facto government of Sudan to allow the mission to carry out its work of investigating all violations without restrictions. We also call on the Rapid Support Forces to cooperate with the mission and facilitate its work in the areas under their control.
We, as Sudanese civil society organizations, are fully prepared to cooperate and provide assistance to the independent international fact-finding mission. Considering the significance of the work of this mission for justice, accountability, and ending impunity, we particularly commend paragraph 22 of the resolution, which stipulates integrating the mission’s role with other parties, including Sudanese civil society. We call on the HRC to expedite the formation of the mission and to appoint human rights experts known for their competence, objectivityand independence.
Signatories
1. Access to Justice and Legal Services.
2. African Center for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS).
3. African Organization for Rights and Development.
4. Al Khatim Adlan Centre for Enlightenment and Human Development (KACE).
5. Confederation of Sudanese Civil Society Organizations.
6. Darfur Network for Human Rights (DNHR).
7. Justice Africa Sudan.
8. National Religious Freedom Association.
9. No to the Women’s Oppression Initiative.
10. Noura for combating violence against women and girls.
11. Nuba Mountains Lawyers Association.
12. Nuba Women Association for Education and Development (NuWEDA).
13. People’s Legal Aid Center (PLACE).
14. Sudanese Defenders Center for Legal Aid.
15. Sudanese Human Rights Initiative (SHERI).
16. Sudanese Human Rights Monitor (SHRM)
17. The Network of women journalists-Sudan.
18. The Strategic Initiative for Women of the Horn of Africa (SIHA).
19. Women of Sudanese Civil and Political Groups (Mansam).
