(11 June 2019)
The UN Security
Council
The undersigned, 30
civil society organisations from around the world, are writing to you at this
critical time when the fate of the Sudanese people hangs in the balance and
when bold leadership is needed to prevent further violence and support those
seeking democratic change in Sudan.
The situation in Sudan
is at a critical juncture. There is an immediate and urgent need for
intervention to restore civilian rule in Sudan and to address the demands made
by protesters since December 2018. The moment that held so much promise for the
brave people of Sudan who exercised their democratic right to clamor for change
through peaceful protest now seems to be turning to a more oppressive context.
Over the past week,
the commitment made by the TMC to hand over power to a civilian-led
transitional authority has crumbled.
The attack on peaceful
democracy protesters in Khartoum that began with the violent breakup of the sit
in has claimed more than 118 lives according to the Central Committee of
Sudanese Doctors on 9 June 2019, and left hundred more injured. The Rapid
Support Forces, riot police, and national security officials riding in armed
vehicles reportedly attacked the protest site early in the morning, when most
protesters were sleeping. They reportedly blocked the exit so that protesters
could not easily leave and used live ammunition. In an apparent effort to
conceal the extent of their crimes, attackers reportedly threw bodies into the
Nile, weighing them down with bricks. According to the Central Committee of
Doctors, more than 40 of these have now been recovered from the waters. At
least three cases of rape were also reported in the attack. At least three
hospitals were attacked, with reports of doctors assaulted. Since then,
targeted harassment of medical personnel has led to the closing of eight
hospitals, according to the Central Committee of Doctors.
The crackdown has
continued beyond the sit in. Internet access has been disrupted and RSF militia
continue to roam the streets. Hundreds have been arrested. Recently returned
opposition leader Yassir Arman was arrested and held incommunicado for several
days before being forcibly deported to Juba.
These horrific acts
clearly demonstrate the TMC’s lack of commitment to a peaceful transition to a
civilian government and their determination to consolidate control by the
harshest elements in the security services. It highlights the risk of further
political polarization and of mass violent confrontation if urgent action is
not taken in support of a peaceful transition to civilian rule.
We welcome the
decision of the African Union’s Peace and Security Council to suspend Sudan
from the AU until power is handed over to a civilian authority and call on the
UN Security Council to support the regional position by:
·
Condemning the violence in Khartoum and elsewhere in the country
as a threat to international peace and security, calling for an impartial
investigation and for those most responsible for violence against civilians to
be held accountable;
·
Urgently supporting establishment of a mechanism to conduct an
independent investigation into the attacks on protestors including cases of
sexual and gender-based violence by armed groups including the Rapid Support
Forces that have been reported following the latest attacks and demanding
accountability for the perpetrators;
·
Demanding a rapid transfer of power to civilian authorities and
a transition period led by civilian authorities to undertake institutional,
political, social and economic reforms to avoid the conditions that led to the
protests and supporting the naming of a team of eminent persons to support
this. Holding elections before these reforms take place will further divide the
country and reduce prospects for true democracy;
·
Freezing plans to draw down the forces of the joint United
Nations-African Union Mission in Sudan in light of recent attacks on peaceful
protesters not only in Khartoum but also in Darfur at least until a civilian
authority is established;
·
Demanding the demobilization of the Rapid Support Forces under
the supervision of the international community;
·
Expanding the imposition of targeted sanctions in Sudan, now
only focused on Darfur, to individuals most responsible for violence against
peaceful protesters and other peaceful opposition.
We urge the United
Nations to support the African Union in their call for a Sudanese government
that supports human rights, respects the rule of law and upholds the democratic
freedoms for all Sudanese. If the international community does not speak with
one voice now, it risks promoting a drastic deterioration of the situation on
the ground with long term consequences for peace and security not only in
Sudan, but also in the region.
Signed
Act for Sudan
African Federation
Association AFA WFM UGANDA
African Centre for
Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS)
AlKhatim Adlan Centre
for Enlightenment and Human Development (KACE)
Atrocities Watch
Africa
Cairo Institute for
Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)
CSW
Darfur Bar Association
(DBA)
DefendDefenders (the
East and Horn of Africa Human Rights
Defenders Project)
Euro-African Forum on
Rights and Development (EAFRD)
Horn of Africa Civil
Society Forum
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Institute
of South Africa (HURISA)
International
Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
International Refugee
Rights Initiative
Investors Against
Genocide
Justice Centre for
Advocacy and Legal Consultations
Kamma Organization for
Development Initiatives (KODI)
The MagkaSama Project
Massachusetts
Coalition to Save Darfur
MENA Rights Group
Never Again Coalition
Nubsud Human Rights
Monitors Organisation (NHRMO)
Skills for Nuba
Mountains
Stop Genocide Now
Sudan Consortium
Sudan Unlimited
Sudanese Rights Group
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