Mr. President, dear Members of the FFM, 

It is difficult to describe Sudan’s tragedy with words. Two and a half years after the current conflict star­ted, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their allied for­ces con­tinue to show utter disregard for international law. Your report details a litany of atrocities, inclu­ding sexual and ethnic-based attacks, some of which constitute crimes under international law. Tho­se responsible have forfeited any role in shaping Sudan’s future.

All efforts must be directed at stopping the fighting, protecting civilians, and centering accounta­bi­li­ty and justice. These objectives are not mutually incompatible; they rein­force each other. 

Mr. President,

Over 100 civil society organisations have urged states to support a man­date extension for the FFM to allow it to continue collecting and preserving evi­dence and identifying tho­se responsible. Beyond our call for a two-year extension, we highlight avenues to en­hance global atten­tion to Su­dan and advance the accountability agenda — through both enhanced interactive dialogues and mobilisation of the Ge­ne­ral Assembly and Security Council.

Irrespective of the next resolution’s details, the bottom line is we need an ambitious UN response.

To help end this conflict, the warring parties, who are inflicting this misery on the Sudanese people, must be held accountable. We urge states to listen to victims’ and survivors’ voices, meet with Suda­nese human rights defenders present in Geneva this week, and do the right thing by voting ‘Yes’ on the FFM’s mandate extension. 

Thank you. 

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