(11 April 2018)
The African Centre of Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) documented human rights
violations associated with attacks on civilians including sexual violence,
arbitrary arrest and detention and killing of civilians that occurred in South
Kordofan from January to March 2018. The Military Intelligence has continued to
target civilians with arbitrary arrest and detention on basis of their
perceived political affiliation with the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation
Movement-North. ACJPS also documented the rape, at gun point, of a 20 year old
by an officer of the Sudan Armed Forces and the killing of three civilians by
two soldiers of the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement-North.
Human rights
violations against civilians in conflict settings continue to occur as victims
face barriers to justice and accountability due to lack of effective mechanisms
and legal immunities afforded to government authorities, fostering a climate of
endemic impunity. Victims and/or survivors of sexual violence face even
tougher barriers and often do not report incidents due to insecurity, stigma,
the fear of reprisal and other obstacles. Among the obstacles are laws and
policies that fail to ensure a safe environment for reporting sexual and
gender based violence incidents and a consistent failure to prosecute
these crimes.
Cases of sexual
violence in South Kordofan
On 3 March 2018, Ms.
Daisy (not her real name), 20 year old woman, was raped at gun point by two
soldiers in uniform from the Sudan Armed Forces as she was out fetching
firewood.
From March 2014 to
October 2017, Ms. Stacy (not her real name), 39 year old, married woman was
sexually abused and exploited by Mr. Khalid Gaffer, a security guard at the
Aldalang University, after he threatened to report her to the Military
Intelligence that she was communicating with her husband who is a member of
the SPLM-N.
Arbitrary arrest and
detention
On 15 January 2018,
the Military Intelligence under the command of Sudan Armed Forces (SAF)
stationed at the Barnwa checkpoint in South Kordofan arrested Mr. Saeed Mohamed
Saeed, a 28 year old from the Nuba tribe, as he was traveling back from Lagawa
town. He was detained incommunicado at an unknown location and released on 18
February 2018. Reasons for his arrest remain unknown.
On 23 February 2018,
the Military Intelligence stationed at the Abuhabil bridge checkpoint arrested
Mr. Shaib Ismail, a 24 year old, and detained him at the SAF headquarter base
in Aldalang, in South Kordofan.
On 6 March 2018, the
Military Intelligence of Al Abbasiya Tagali in South Kordofan arrested Mr.
Mohamed Awad, 38 year old, and detained him at the military intelligence base
in Al Abbasiya Tagali. It is suspected that he was detained on basis of
perceived political affiliation with the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation
Movement-North (SPLM-N)
On 6 March 2018, the
Military Intelligence of Um Rawaba in North Kordofan arrested Mr. Mansour
Altoum from the Um Rawaba Market and detained him at the military intelligence
base in Al Abbasiya Tagali. It is suspected that he was detained on basis of
perceived political affiliation with the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation
Movement-North (SPLM-N).
Shooting of civilians
On 5 March 2018, two
SPLM-N soldiers shot and killed three civilians in Kulundo area, a locality
within the SPLM-N controlled area in Eastern Al Abbasiya Tagali. The names of
the deceased are:
1.
Omer Yusuf, 63 year old
2.
Adam Aleimam Jubana, 36 year old
3.
Mohamed Abdulrahim Kabashi, 56 year old.
ACJPS condemns the
continued attacks against civilians and calls on the Government of Sudan to:
·
Officially and publicly condemn arbitrary attacks, unlawful
killings, and sexual violence and make clear that these acts are absolutely
prohibited and will be prosecuted.
·
Investigate the reported sexual violence with an aim of
identifying and prosecuting perpetrators, including waiving of immunities to
ensure effective prosecution.
·
Stop the persecution of communities in South Kordofan and
persons suspected of affiliation with the SPLM-N and guarantee the right to
freedom of association and other fundamental freedoms.
·
Charge or release the detainees in the absence of valid legal
charges consistent with international standards; guarantee their physical
safety including granting them immediate and unequivocal access to their
lawyers, family members and medical services.
·
To immediately put in place measures to protect civilians
especially the vulnerable groups and strengthen structures to ensure
availability of effective complaint, protection and reparation measures to
respond to attacks on civilians including sexual and gender based violence.
·
To immediately put in place an effective criminal justice
mechanism to respond to all forms of sexual and gender based violence.
ACJPS further condemns
the killing of the three civilians by the SPLM-N soldiers and calls on SPLM-N
to investigate and prosecute the soldiers involved and further ensure the
protection of civilians within their territory in accordance with international
law.
ACJPS calls upon the
Government of Sudan and the SPLM-N to immediately prioritise reaching a
comprehensive agreement aimed at ending the violence and restoring peace to the
people of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile.
Background
ACJPS is particularly
concerned by the quasi-total impunity enjoyed by perpetrators of the violations
documented. ACJPS condemns in the strongest terms the grave violations of human
rights and international humanitarian law in South Kordofan, Blue Nile and
Darfur, including the continued indiscriminate aerial bombing of civilian
populated areas the use of cluster bombs, and other indiscriminate attacks on
civilians by Government forces and allied militia, as well as the continued
blockade of humanitarian aid, looting, destruction of civilian facilities,
killings and sexual violence committed by paramilitary forces and other Sudanese
government forces, which has led to forced displacement of civilian
populations. Thus, ACJPS urges the Government of Sudan to address the continued
impunity of security forces and ensure accountability for the grave violations
of human rights and international humanitarian law.
0 comments:
إرسال تعليق