Geneva — The Attorney General of the Republic of Sudan, Yasir Bashir Bukhari, in his capacity as Chairman of the National Committee to Investigate War Crimes and Violations and Practices of the Rebel Terrorist Rapid Support Forces (RSF), addressed Tuesday afternoon, the Human Rights Council during an oral briefing on the human rights situation in Sudan.
The Attorney General affirmed the ability and integrity of the national justice institutions in Sudan and their firm desire to implement the principle of the rule of law in order to achieve justice for the victims and the principle of non-impunity, urging the Human Rights Council and the international community to adopt the principle of complementarity so that the national effort is the basis, by providing Technical assistance requested by Sudan in the areas of criminal investigations and law enforcement within the framework of states' commitment to combat transnational organized crime in all its forms, and to provide the necessary assistance to establish an international fund for reparations and compensation, calling on neighboring countries to facilitate the committee's mission to allow access to victims, witnesses and looted items, in addition to providing technical and logistical support, including advisory support.
The Attorney General also condemned, in the strongest terms, the violations, crimes and atrocities that have been committed by the terrorist rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Militia since April 15, 2023, including killing, displacement and systematic attacks amounting to genocide against the Masalit tribe in Western Darfur, which claimed the lives of more than 5,000 people and more than 8,000 wounded, the heinous massacre in the village of Wad Al-Noura in Gezira State, which claimed the lives of more than 227 people and more than 150 injured, and the blatant attacks in the village of Sheikh Al-Samani, which claimed the lives of 21 and 15 wounded. This is in addition to the rebel RSF militia's use of civilians as human shields, and the targeting of defenseless citizens.
The most prominent of them are women and children, as the number of women who were subjected to physical violence, rape, pregnancy, and forced marriage reached more than 216 girls and women, in addition to the forced recruitment of more than 6,000 children, and the number of children killed participating in military operations reached about 4,850 children. The Attorney General also reviewed the National Committee's work methodology in its investigations and its adherence to the principles of a fair trial, as the courts guaranteed the rights of the accused, provided them with the right to seek the assistance of a lawyer, and provided legal aid from the Ministry of Justice to those who were unable to bring a plea. The number of criminal cases that were registered reached 12,470, and 346 arrest warrants were issued against the leaders and members of the rebel forces and were announced by publication.
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The rebel forces were also classified as a terrorist group in accordance with the law and the relevant Security Council resolutions, in addition to the referral of about 65 criminal cases that were completed. The investigations are to be decided by the national judiciary, which issued rulings in some of them of conviction and others of acquittal. At the conclusion of the statement, the Attorney General appealed to the Human Rights Council and the international community to provide the necessary technical support to the National Committee, so that it can carry out its tasks to the fullest extent, stressing the readiness of his committee to cooperate within the framework of implementing the principle of complementarity. BH/BH
