UN Calls for Urgent Intervention in Sudan Amid War Crimes Allegations

A U.N.-mandated mission reports that both Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) committed possible war crimes, including rape and torture, in the ongoing civil war. The mission urges for peacekeepers and a broader arms embargo to protect civilians. Neither side has responded to the accusations.

A U.N.-mandated mission reported Friday that both sides in Sudan's civil war have committed abuses potentially amounting to war crimes. The mission calls for peacekeepers and a broader arms embargo to protect civilians.

According to the report, Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have raped and attacked civilians, engaged in torture, and made arbitrary arrests. The findings are based on 182 interviews with survivors, relatives, and witnesses, highlighting the need for urgent intervention, said Mohamed Chande Othman, chair of the U.N. fact-finding mission.

Both sides have previously denied accusations from the U.S. and rights groups, and neither responded to requests for comment on Friday. The mission called for an independent force to be deployed without delay.

The violence, which began in Khartoum in April last year, has since spread to 14 of Sudan's 18 states. The conflict has led to famine, mass displacement, and disease. U.S.-led mediators secured some humanitarian access last month, but the Sudanese army’s absence from discussions hindered progress.

A group of Western countries, including Britain, will call for the mission's renewal at a meeting this month, though diplomats expect opposition from Sudan, which considers the war an internal affair.