UN committee calls for end to ethnic violence in Sudan

By Saadet Firdevs Apari

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) on Tuesday called for an end to ethnic violence in Sudan.

"The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) today urged Sudan to address and prevent further escalation of ethnic violence, incitement to racial hatred and racist hate speech," a CERD statement said.

The statement called on the country’s army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to cease hostilities.

It also highlighted the need to "stop further violations and abuses of international human rights and humanitarian law, notably violent acts targeting people on the basis of their ethnic origin."

Expressing a shock at the reports of death, destruction, and attacks, the statement also called on Sudan "to ensure that such acts are investigated and adequately and robustly punished."

It urged the country "to promote dialogue between different ethnic communities to foster tolerance and achieving peace."

The war in Sudan broke out on April 15, 2023, over disagreements between the Sudanese Armed Forces’ head Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, on integrating the latter into the army.

The conflict has caused a devastating humanitarian crisis, and clashes have killed nearly 16,000 people and displaced millions.

*Writing by Serdar Dincel