Sudan’s Geneva Envoy Welcomes Rights Council’s Condemnation of RSF, Criticizes Failure to Name UAE

Sudan: Sudan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Hassan Hamid, welcomed the Human Rights Council's condemnation of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia and its governing structures while criticizing the council for failing to explicitly identify the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the external supporter of the group.

According to Sudan News Agency, Ambassador Hamid addressed the Human Rights Council during the adoption of the resolution on the situation in El Obeid and its surrounding areas. He stated that the Sudanese government did not object to the consensus adoption of the resolution because it strongly condemned the crimes committed by the RSF militia, rejected any governing authority or administrative structures established in areas under the militia's control, and reaffirmed the council's commitment to Sudan's unity, independence, and territorial integrity.

Regarding the provisions condemning external interference, the Permanent Representative described them as positive but criticized their reliance on generalized language and failure to identify the responsible state. He noted that while the resolution referred to external interference in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1556 and the subsequent United Nations Security Council Resolution 1591, it did not name the UAE, which he said had been identified by the UN Panel of Experts established pursuant to those resolutions. He emphasized that this was not solely the position of the Sudanese government but was also reflected in the Panel's report, arguing that such an approach would not achieve the objectives of the special session or its resolution.

While welcoming the resolution's positive provisions, Hamid reiterated Sudan's categorical rejection of all paragraphs relating to the mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission. He recalled Sudan's longstanding objection to the resolution establishing the mission, arguing that it had equated the Sudanese Armed Forces with the RSF militia. He also requested that Sudan's reservations be formally recorded in the meeting's official proceedings to ensure the country would incur no obligations under the contested provisions.