Sudan: Security Council has a moral and legal responsibility to act

Given the provisions of the UN Charter requiring member states to cooperate in the promotion and protection of human rights, each one of the country members of the council has not only a moral, but also a legal responsibility, towards those suffering in Sudan, said the human rights organisation.

Amnesty International UK Campaigns Director Stephen Bowen said:

“Concerns expressed by the Security Council must urgently be turned into concrete action. The victims of human rights violations in Sudan cannot wait any longer.”

In spite of the commitments made by the Sudanese government, as outlined in the Joint Communique with the UN on 3 July, no significant change has occurred for the civilian population in Darfur.

Amnesty International is urging governments in Algeria, Angola, Benin, Brazil, Chile, China, France, Germany, Pakistan, Philippines, Romania, Spain, Russia, the UK and the US to urgently adopt a resolution on Sudan that:

• condemns the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur;
• creates, without delay, an independent international Commission of Inquiry to determine the extent of war crimes, crimes against humanity and other violations of international humanitarian law as well as allegations of genocide. The Commission should recommend ways to establish legal accountability of individuals responsible for violations of human rights and humanitarian law. It should also suggest mechanisms for the sustainable return, in conditions of safety and dignity, of the displaced to their villages and make its findings and recommendations public;
• ensures that civilians, including internally displaced persons, are protected in Darfur;
• supports measures to ensure that all those responsible for the human rights abuses are brought to justice;
• imposes a suspension on transfers of military, security and police (MSP) equipment, weaponry, personnel or training to the Sudanese government and all parties to the conflict likely to be used to commit human rights violations in Darfur. This measure must include a strong monitoring mechanism to investigate possible violations of the suspension of arms transfers and report periodically on its findings;
• deploys human rights monitors which are adequately resourced and in sufficient quantity, with a clear mandate to investigate human rights violations in Darfur and monitor the protection of civilians, including those in the internally displaced persons sites, and to make their findings and recommendations public.

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