UN Secretary-General: ‘Human rights situation in Sudan continues to deteriorate’

United Nation’s Secretary-General António Guterres submitted a detailed report on September 2, into Sudan’s political, economic, and security situation between May and August this year.

Guterres’s damning report paid particular attention to the deterioration in human rights experienced in Sudan. The report stated that the total number of people killed during demonstrations, since October 25 2021 military coup, stands at 117, including 20 children, and one woman.

The Secretary-General highlighted the “concerning reports of sexual harassment and intimidation targeting women participating in the sit-ins”, which is reportedly being perpetrated by “other protesters and local communities”, the report stated.

Food insecurity in Darfur, Khartoum, Kassala, and White Nile accounted for the highest caseload of people affected by acute hunger, reflecting “almost one quarter of the population”, according to the UN report.

The economic situation in Sudan was of great concern to Guterres in his report. He stated that the “protracted political crisis and widespread insecurity are likely to continue to constrain economic activity and deter investors”. Adding that, shortages of fuel, food and other commodities were “severely affecting livelihoods”.

Intercommunal clashes and Sudan’s burgeoning security deficit was also a primary point of contention for the Secretary-General. The prevailing lawlessness in Sudan, and especially in Darfur, “posed a significant challenge” for the UN. Such as the intercommunal conflict between 6 and 11 June in West Darfur’s Kulbus locality, where “at least 165 were killed” and an estimated 50,000 were displaced.

The report concludes with the Secretary-General giving credence to the UNITAMS Special Representative, Volker Perthes, as well as the African Union, IGAD, and all the UN personnel in Sudan. He also stated the UN’s full committal to “supporting the Sudanese people during these turbulent times”.

Read the full report here: Situation in the Sudan and the activities of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in the Sudan – Report of the Secretary-General