Geneva, (Nabaa Sudan) – Sudan’s Permanent Representative in Geneva, Ambassador Hassan Hamid Hassan, affirmed that accountability and justice are among the Sudanese government’s top national priorities, stressing that Sudan’s cooperation with human rights mechanisms demonstrates that the protection of human rights is a national commitment rather than an external requirement.
He highlighted the government’s constructive engagement with the UN country office, the Independent Expert on the human rights situation in Sudan, and the Panel of Experts established pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution 1591, noting that all three mechanisms have received Sudan’s acceptance and full cooperation.
Ambassador Hassan said that following the outbreak of the war, the government established the National Committee of Inquiry into Violations of National Law and International Humanitarian Law to promote accountability and prevent impunity. Since its establishment, the committee has carried out its mandate and submitted five interim reports to the Human Rights Council.
He stressed that Sudan has, over the past three years, consistently expressed its readiness to apply the principle of complementarity, under which any external mechanism should complement, rather than replace, the work of the national committee and the country’s established judicial institutions.
Commenting on the British-drafted resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council, Ambassador Hassan said its sponsors had failed to take into account Sudan’s fundamental reservations concerning several of its provisions, particularly those affecting national sovereignty and those placing the Sudanese Armed Forces, which are carrying out their constitutional duty to protect the state and its people, on an equal footing with a rebel militia that has committed serious violations.
He also criticized the resolution for disregarding the primary role of Sudan’s national judicial institutions and other provisions over which Sudan had expressed reservations. He called on all states committed to the UN Charter and its principles to vote against the resolution.
China opposed the resolution and requested a vote, while Egypt supported China’s request. The resolution was subsequently adopted with 28 votes in favour, 10 against and nine abstentions. Thus, 19 of the Human Rights Council’s 47 members did not support the resolution.
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