Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for your invitation.
Amnesty International notes that, since April 15, 2023, tens of thousands of people have been killed or injured in deliberate and indiscriminate attacks in Sudan in battles between the Rapid Support Forces, the RSF, and the Sudanese Armed Forces, the SAF, which are fighting in the capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere in the country, including in the Darfur and Kordofan regions. The fighting followed months of tension between the two groups over the potential reform of security forces that was proposed as part of negotiations for a new transitional government, among other issues.
The FAS is led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, while the RSF is led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti.
Given the scale of the fighting and the organization of both sides, the situation can be considered a non-international armed conflict under the Geneva Conventions. As a result, it is governed by international humanitarian law, which seeks to protect civilians and other non-combatants in armed conflicts. Amnesty International considers both the SAF and the RSF to be state forces. Various non-state armed and militia groups are also involved.
Dozens of women and girls have been raped by combatants on both sides. The conflict, which has been going on for more than a year, continues to spread across the country, and the city of El Fasher, in North Darfur, the only capital of the five Darfur states that is not controlled by the RSF, has been surrounded by them and their allies. The city has a population of over 1.5 million, including hundreds of thousands of displaced people who are now trapped and in danger of being subjected to large-scale violations. Hundreds of thousands of people could be killed.
Amnesty International has received reports of villages being set on fire, increased air strikes, bombing of residential areas, including the IDP camp at Abu Shouk, and aid delivery being blocked by both sides.
Following an investigation, Amnesty International was able to establish that all parties to the conflict are committing serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. Some of the violence committed by the parties to the conflict amounts to war crimes and even crimes against humanity.
Thousands of men, women and children are caught in the crossfire. Combatants on both sides, who often use inappropriate weapons and explosive ammunition with wide area effects, often launch attacks from densely populated residential areas. Looting of public and private property, including medical and humanitarian infrastructure, is exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation. More than 70% of hospitals, if not 80%, are now non-functional.
More than 11 million people have been internally displaced, and an estimated 2.1 million have fled to neighbouring states, where they live in appalling conditions. More than 16,650 people have been killed since the conflict escalated. Millions of people are at immediate risk of starvation. The humanitarian crisis has been exacerbated by severe shortages of food, water, medicine and fuel. According to information made public in June 2024, more than 750,000 people are facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity, and 25.6 million are acutely food insecure.
Despite multiple ceasefire declarations, fighting has intensified. In July, Amnesty International released a report detailing a steady influx of weapons into the country, fuelling the conflict and the unprecedented humanitarian crisis. The arms embargo in Sudan is therefore totally ineffective.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.