Finally a piece of good news: the UN Human Rights Council renewed the mandate of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) for Sudan on 9 October. As last year's vote that established the body was so tight, there were fears that the FFM would not be renewed at all, which considering the scale of the violence in Sudan would have been an aberration. Najlaa Ahmed, our Legal Adviser was in Geneva in September lobbying government delegates to ensure their support.
Thankfully, this time we had an overwhelming vote, with 23 states voting in favour and 12 against. This week's resolution was introduced by the UK on behalf of a core group including Germany, Norway and USA and numerous co-sponsors. This extension comes after the FFM's first report was presented in September 2024, which found that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) were both responsible for mass violations and war crimes, pointing to the likelihood that "acts committed by the RSF and its allied militias [amounted to] crimes against humanity".
The resolution follows a plea by 80 NGOs, including Rights for Peace, to prolong the FFM's investigations, given concerns over continuing mass atrocities being reported.
Najlaa Ahmed stated that:
"The extension of the FFM means more time for the experts to continue to collect evidence. More victims and survivors can come forward and provide their statements."
The new resolution condemns violations by the RSF and SAF in the ongoing brutal war that has led to over 10 million displaced. Famine has become a risk for millions in Sudan, particularly at Zamzam camp, which could lead to conditions amounting to genocide if aid trucks are prevented from entering impacted areas. Famine is an extension of the violence that afflicted the country since the onset of war on 15 April 2023, including airstrikes on hospitals and schools (both civilian zones), forced disappearances, torture and unjust detention, and sexual violence crimes such as rape, gang-rape, and sexual slavery.
Secondary deaths: in a digital round table with Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) on 8 October it was revealed that conflict-related sexual violence has generated a maternal and pediatric healthcare emergency. In Nyala, South Darfur, there has been a 56% increase in maternal and pediatric mortalities, including 46 maternal deaths at 2 MSF facilities alone.
"This extension is not the end, it is just the beginning of hope for survivors.The international community should priorities providing adequate funding to the FFM and civil society organisations"
Reaffirming the Council's previous calls for an immediate ceasefire, the 7 October 2024 resolution also condemns the bombing of displacement camps and attacks by the RSF in El Fasher, North Darfur.
The resolution retains continuity with resolution 54/2 passed in October 2023, referring once more to the interdependence between the FFM and the Fact-Finding Mission of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) and the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council, as well as an investigation by the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) into breaches of international law, laws of war, and human rights in Darfur.
The 57th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council began on 9 September 2024 and ends on 11 October 2024. The Human Rights Council will hear an oral update and report of the FFM during the 59th Session in June 2025, and will present its written report at the 60th Session in September 2025 and the 80th Session in October 2025.
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