والله الواحد بقى لا بعرف يتكلم لا بعرف يكتب… I can’t string a coherent sentence together to save my life
— Munchkin (@BSonblast) December 30, 2023
Drowning in the sadness today. Couldn’t shake it off at all, couldn’t repress it, couldn’t just live with it.
— Munchkin (@BSonblast) December 30, 2023
It swallowed me whole.
World’s Children Day
20 November 2023
GENEVA (20 November 2023) – With one out of every five children worldwide living within armed conflict zones, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child marks World Children’s Day in a sombre mood and calls for ceasefires and a return to basics of humanitarian law to safeguard all children. The Committee today issued the following statement:
“World Children’s Day has generally been regarded as a day to celebrate the gains made since the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. Thirty-four years later today, it, however, has become a day for mourning for the many children who have recently died in armed conflict.
More than 4,600 children have been killed in Gaza in only five weeks. This war has claimed the lives of more children in a shorter time and with a level of brutality that we have not witnessed in recent decades.
The Committee has previously urged for a ceasefire. Unfortunately, the UN Security Council has not put its weight behind that call. While the 15 November 2023 resolution of the Security Council calling for humanitarian pauses and corridors is a positive step by the international community, it does not end the war that is waging on children – it simply makes it possible for children to be saved from being killed on some days, but not on other days.
There are 468 million children worldwide living in armed conflict zones, according to Save the Children’s research, accounting for about 20% of the world’s 2.4 billion children population, based on UNICEF’s statistics.
On World Children's Day, the Committee also wants to underscore that while the armed conflict in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is at the forefront of our minds, we remain acutely concerned that thousands of children are dying in armed conflict in many parts of the world, including in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, Myanmar, Haiti, Sudan, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia. Verified figures show that in 2022, the global figure of children killed or maimed was 8,630. Of deep concern is the fact that up to 4,000 children were denied humanitarian access last year.
Given the current situation in Gaza, the number of child victims of these grave human rights violations is rising exponentially.
The plight of girls affected by armed conflict is also at a crisis point. In Sudan and Haiti, there are verified reports of abduction and rape of girls, and concerns have been raised by the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children about the deterioration in access to humanitarian services is driving girls towards being recruited by armed groups.
Children of so-called ‘foreign fighters’ are a further area of concern. The Committee has recommended in three complaints under its communications procedure that children in the camps in Northeast Syria should be repatriated.
While some States have acted to return children and their mothers, an estimated 31,000 children are still living in abysmal conditions in the camps. The Committee also remains very concerned about boys who are being separated from their mothers when they reach early adolescence, as well as several hundred boys who are in prison.
The Committee recognises World Children’s Day in a sombre mood. In the face of wars affecting children around the globe, we call again for ceasefires, for a return to the basics of humanitarian law, and for thorough investigations by competent authorities of all grave violations against children in the context of armed conflict.”
View original: https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO2311/S00140/end-to-killing-of-children-in-armed-conflict-un-committee-urges.htm
[Ends]
NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: There are many wicked people in the world who should never be hired as carers to take care of the daily needs and social care of children and/or adults who are vulnerable, infirm, disabled.
I once heard a Darfuri woman in a refugee camp saying she has eight children so at least one might survive to take care of her in her old age.
Here is a copy of a tweet by BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) Aug 7, 2023 with a link to a full version of the video of their undercover investigation into some African care homes in Nairobi, Kenya. It says:
Across Africa, the elderly have traditionally been cared for by their families. Now, with life expectancy increasing, many Africans are turning to care homes for help...but are the elderly getting the care they need? #BBCAfricaEye goes undercover to investigate. ⬇️
https://youtu.be/4Z5ZbYd6FkE - VIDEO WARNING: Distressing Content
— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) August 7, 2023
Read 827 comments posted at the video: https://youtu.be/4Z5ZbYd6FkE
Here are some excerpts from a description posted at the video:
"BBC Africa Eye goes undercover to investigate allegations of mistreatment, theft and neglect inside a Kenyan care home for the elderly.
Undercover reporters gathered evidence of mistreatment and neglect of vulnerable residents at an elderly care home near Nairobi, Kenya’s capital. Secret filming shows staff members physically mistreating residents and dumping unplated food on tables, leaving struggling residents to feed themselves. Medical conditions were also left untreated.
Africa Eye reporter Njeri Mwangi investigates the dark side of elderly care in Kenya.
***
#BBCAfricaEye brings you original, investigative journalism revealing secrets and rooting out injustice in the world’s most complex and exciting continent. Nothing stays hidden forever.
Check out all Africa Eye investigations here: 🎥 https://bit.ly/bbcafricaeye
📽 The SWAHILI version of this documentary can be viewed here: 
• Nyumba za kulea wazee kenya: "Wanatel...
CREDITS:
BBC Africa Eye Editor - Tom Watson
Head of Long Form and Investigations – Liz Gibbons
Produced and Directed by Kassim Mohamed, Hussein Mohamed, Godfrey Badebye
Executive Producers – Peter Murimi, Andy Bell, Dickon Le Marchant
Reporter – Njeri Mwangi
Camera – Abdi Mungai
Film Editor – John Moratiel
Online Editor - Chris Stott
Dubbing Mixer - Jez Spencer
Colour Grader - Boyd Nagle
Production Manager - Simon Frost
Reversioning Producer - Anna Payton
Digital Producer - Tamasin Ford
Social Media Producer - Anusha Kumar
Impact Producer - Blanca Munoz, Valeria Cardi
Production Coordinators – Izzy Fleming, Abigail Knight
Drone Pilot – Chrispine Otieno
Archive – Ebru TV News
Fixer – Alphonce Gari"
[Ends]
Report from Sudan Tribune - sudantribune.com
Dated 09 August 2023 - here is a full copy:
UNITAMS Volker Perthes remarks to the Security Council on August 9, 2023
Image: Volker Perthes briefs the Security Council about the situation in Sudan on May 22, 2023
August 9, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – Hereunder is the briefing that the banned UN Secretary-General Special Representative to Sudan, Volker Perthes, had to present to the Security Council members on Sudan.
Following threats by the Sudanese military-led government to end the UNITAMS if he briefs the Council, the UN decided to prevent him from speaking to the 15-members body and replaced him by Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa.
Security Council session on Sudan
9 August 2023
Madame President
Members of the Security Council,
Thank you for this opportunity to brief you on the situation in Sudan.
More than one hundred days have passed since the eruption of fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.
Clashes between these parties continue in various parts of the country, particularly Khartoum, Bahri, Omdurman and Darfur, with neither side achieving victory nor making any significant gains. Khartoum State remains an epicentre of the conflict, with major combat concentrated around key SAF installations including the Sudanese Armed Forces General Command Headquarters. Fighting is continuing in neighbourhoods. This week the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces both ordered residents to leave their homes in a part of Omdurman, declaring it “an area of operations”.
The parties have exacted tremendous suffering on the people of the Darfur region. The fighting in Darfur continues to reopen the old wounds of ethnic tension of past conflicts in the region. The brutal violence experienced in El Geneina and Sirba are particular examples of this situation. This is deeply worrying and could quickly engulf the country in a prolonged ethnic conflict with regional spillovers. The initiative by Chad to convene a grouping of Darfurian stakeholders to address the situation in the region is therefore welcome and should be built upon while ensuring the participation of a broad range of stakeholders, including armed groups, tribal leaders, civil society, and women’s groups.
The situation in the two Kordofan and the Blue Nile States of Sudan continues to be fragile, with persistent military actions and frequent road closures. In North Kordofan, SAF controls El Obeid city while RSF is controlling areas around the city.
Since June, the SPLM-North Al Hilu faction has continued to make military advancements in SAF-controlled areas in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, in which SPLM N claims is an attempt to take back territory previously taken from them.
While the East is relatively calm, there are indications of active mobilization efforts in support of SAF, with the emergence of mobilization committees and establishment of military training camps. The mobilization is particularly worrisome and risks plunging the East into conflict along ethnic lines, further highlighting the fragility of the region.
The Northern part of the country remains under Sudanese Armed Forces control.
Excellencies,
The conflict in Sudan continues to have immense repercussions on the country and its people who continue to face unimaginable suffering [The humanitarian and protection needs are rising by the day with no signs of a reprieve. My humanitarian colleague Ms Edem Wosornu will brief you in detail on the mounting humanitarian needs and response efforts.
The indiscriminate and sometimes targeted attacks on civilians and civilian objects and infrastructure continue, particularly in Khartoum, Darfur, and North Kordofan, as the parties continue to disregard calls to protect civilians and uphold their international human rights and humanitarian law obligations.
Sexual violence continues to be perpetrated on a large scale, while children continue to be killed or victimized or are at risk of being recruited to fight.
The systematic abductions and killings of human rights defenders in Darfur and Khartoum are on the rise. The parties to the conflict must take concrete actions to end and investigate these violations, and support must be provided to strengthen human rights defenders’ networks and better protect human rights defenders.
UNITAMS and the wider UN have on several occasions denounced specific egregious violations such as ethnically-motivated attacks in West Darfur, systematic looting and rape, or aerial bombardments, and have named those responsible.
Hostilities in the country must come to an end and perpetrators should be held accountable for crimes committed, including sexual violence.
Excellencies,
We welcome the ongoing efforts by the African Union and IGAD to end the conflict in Sudan. UNITAMS remains committed to support these efforts, including through the AU-led Expanded Mechanism and its Core Group – which the UN is a part of. We also welcome the continued efforts of the US and Saudi Arabia to facilitate negotiations between the conflicting parties in Jeddah, as well as the initiative of Sudan’s neighbouring countries to help resolve the conflict. The common thread among these initiatives is the call for a permanent cessation of hostilities, facilitation of humanitarian access, and engagement with civilian stakeholders in an inclusive political process.
Coordination between the existing regional and international mechanisms and fora remains essential to maximize the collective leverage of regional and international actors and enhance the effectiveness of mediation efforts. The United Nations is supporting a joined-up approach towards facilitating a comprehensive solution and will continue to work closely with our partners – particularly the African Union and IGAD in this regard, in coordination with others.
We must also highlight that a broad range of civilians remain committed to ending the war and a resumption of a transition leading to a democratic state. Civilians, tribal leaders and others are coming under increasing pressure to take sides in the war, and we continue to urge against this. Such pressure will only lead to a civil war with ethnic and regional repercussions for decades to come. In fact, UNITAMS is supporting efforts by local leaders to prevent or de-escalate conflicts, particularly in Darfur.
UNITAMS also welcomes the ongoing efforts by civilian leaders to consolidate various civilian initiatives under one umbrella to unify anti-war forces in one broad front and prepare for an inclusive political process. It is important to include civil society, women’s rights groups, youth, trade professions, and resistance committees whose voices and engagement are particularly significant in any efforts to end the conflict in Sudan. UNITAMS continues its outreach with these initiatives and encouraging broad-based inclusivity.
Let me also highlight the important role Sudanese women are playing by leading several anti-war initiatives that call for the immediate cessation of violence, accountability for human rights violations, including sexual violence, and for women’s participation in ceasefire negotiations and any future political process. Their voice must be heard.
Excellencies,
Let me close by reiterating that there needs to be a negotiated solution to end this war as soon as possible. There is no other alternative. Calls by some to continue the war in order to achieve a military victory will only contribute to destroying the country. The longer this war continues, the greater the risk of fragmentation, and foreign interference and erosion of sovereignty, and the loss of Sudan’s future, particularly its youth. Now is the time to end this senseless war and return to negotiations. UNITAMS, along with its partners, will continue to engage with both sides towards this goal and we count on the united support of this Council.
Thank you, Madam President.
View original: https://sudantribune.com/article275981/
[Ends]
Statement: 13 July 2023 [here is a full copy]
Statement of ICC Prosecutor, Karim A. A. Khan KC, to the United Nations Security Council on the situation in Darfur, pursuant to Resolution 1593 (2005)
Thirty-seventh report: English, Français, عربي
Mr President, thank you for the opportunity that you provided me to brief the Council once again today. And I'd also like to express my gratitude to the Permanent Representative of Sudan for the opportunity that I had yesterday to meet with him as well.
Mr President, Excellencies, it's 90 days now, 90 days from the 15th of April, when fighting erupted between the RSF, the Rapid Support Force, and the Sudanese Armed Forces. And that conflict, that engagement, has spilled out of Khartoum to engulf much of Sudan. Certainly it is felt by the people of Darfur.
And the simple truth is that we are in this Council and in the world, as we see increasing reports, in peril of allowing history to repeat itself: the same miserable history that compelled this Council in 2005 to refer this Darfur situation to the ICC. As we speak, there are women and children, boys and girls, old and young, in fear of their lives, living with uncertainty in the midst of conflict. And as their homes are burnt, many as we speak will not know what the night will bring and what fate awaits them tomorrow.
This is not hyperbole or polemics. It's the result of an objective assessment from myriad sources. Just today, Mr President, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights released a report which detailed allegations concerning the killing of 87 ethnic Masalit, allegedly by the RSF and members of their allied militia in West Darfur. We are investigating those allegations.
We are, by any analysis, not on the precipice of a human catastrophe but in the very mists of one. It is occurring.
And it's my analysis and my prayer and advice that we must act urgently, collectively to protect the most vulnerable. If this oft repeated phrase of “never again” is to mean anything, it must mean something here and now for the people of Darfur that have lived with this uncertainty and pain and the scars of conflict for almost two decades.
With respect to the role of my Office, I do wish to be very clear that our mandate pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1593 is ongoing with respect of crimes within our jurisdiction: the crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. And any individual who is found to be committing those crimes within our jurisdictions will be investigated. And depending upon assessments by the independent judges of the ICC, we will strain every sinew and leave no stone unturned to ensure that they are held accountable in fair and independent trials.
We have already started investigating, as I said. And Mr President and Excellencies, I do want to be clear and send a clear message to every belligerent, every commander, every foot soldier who has a gun or believes that they have power to do what they want. That targeting civilians, individuals, targeting their homes, targeting their businesses, intentionally, particularly targeting children and women, are crimes prohibited by the Rome Statute. Attacks against schools, against humanitarian supplies, against humanitarian facilities must cease because the harm that these types of activities are causing are so profound, they go beyond words. And I think that reality deserves us to pause for thought and contemplate the lot of those who are not in rooms or in chambers like this.
This is a moment really, Mr President, where we should really converge the Charter principles, the principles hard won at Nuremberg, the Rome Statute obligations and your own authority as a Council that in 2005 made a determination that these acts represented a threat to international peace and security.
And it applies not only in relation to acts committed in Sudan. Any individual that aids and abets, encourages or directs from outside Sudan, crimes that may be committed in Darfur will also be investigated.
This is a moment that really should cause some clarity in terms of where this is going, in terms of the legal options available, but also in terms of the moral responsibility and the legal responsibilities that we owe to people that feel invisible, that have felt invisible for almost 20 years, and who feel that the law and the pronouncements and resolutions from this Council are not taken seriously, and are not delivered to protect them, to be a shield for them as the Charter requires.
The investigations that we're looking at encompass also many allegations in West Darfur: looting and judicial killings, extrajudicial killings, burnings of homes, and also allegations in North Darfur.
Now, these allegations I've already mentioned, Your Excellencies, the report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights today, but this also emerges from other sources, such as the UNITAMS report - and I take the opportunity of commending the excellent leadership, the cooperation of Volker Perthes, the SRSG, for their cooperation over this last period.
I've given clear instructions to my Office to prioritise crimes against children and crimes of sexual and gender based violence. And the various reports that we've received, I can't vouch at this juncture for their accuracy. But we are already looking at new, imaginative, innovative ways to verify what is the truth, to subject it to scrutiny. And I've said that during my term as Prosecutor, I will not apply for warrants unless there's a realistic prospect of conviction. But we will ensure, God willing, that justice is not only spoken about in this chamber, but it’s felt to vindicate the rights of civilians and the vulnerable in ways that they have not seen sufficiently in their lived experiences.
Today I can also announce a new public campaign that we've launched, asking and encouraging civilians, members of the different groups, any individual with information to provide it to my Office in a secure channel using the portal that we have set up.
In this critical moment - and I think by any analysis that's the most bland statement we can say - in this critical moment, we need a very honest assessment. This outcome has been staring us in the face. It's been staring this Council in the face. It's been staring Sudan in the face for an awfully long time.
We could see it coming. The question is what we're going to do about it.
This reality, the fact that children are rendered orphans, or women are violated, and buildings are burnt, is the result of an unwillingness over a significant period, despite the reports that myself and predecessors have brought before the Council, despite the work of the Office of the High Commissioner, despite the work of different UN organisations and UNITAMS in the more recent past, we haven't given value to the accounts of the lived experiences of so many of our brothers and sisters who are Sudanese and who are Darfuri.
It stems in my respectful view from a fundamental failure to recognise that justice isn't simply required for upholding normative values and principles of public international law, not even to vindicate essential principles of the Charter, but for all those reasons, all those instruments speak to a fundamental reality that justice has to be and is a foundation for any prospect of sustainable peace and real security and stability.
It reflects, Mr President, a fundamental disregard and breach of clear, repeated commitments that have been made to the people of Sudan by their governments. And one can go through a whole litany of instruments and promises made but one can simply limit it to two: the unfulfilled Juba peace agreement of 3 October 2020, and the commitments made to myself, to my Office by the government of Sudan by dint of the Memorandum of Understanding signed on 12 August 2021.
And this compels my Office to look how it can more effectively render justice at this moment in a way that we will not allow any errors of the past, any obstruction, any non-cooperation to sabotage the prospects of justice or to sabotage or render impotent the will of this Council with the heavy responsibilities that are placed in you.
By any measure, a failure to meet international legal obligations and the absence of any meaningful justice in Sudan for the serious crimes committed in Darfur 20 years ago, have sown the seeds to the weeds of woe that is the now the misfortune of so many Darfuris.
Now, I remain open to engage with all actors to prevent further backsliding into ever deeper violence. I've tried over the last months to engage and we've got messages to the leadership of the different armed groups and government of Sudan and the RSF and I continue to make efforts.
But any engagement has two key conditions. It's essential that those involved in hostilities recognise, however late in the day, however late in the day, that they have to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law. There cannot be further excuses and prevarications and justifications for what is intolerable and unjustified and targeting the very, the most vulnerable people of humanity. And it's essential that those involved in hostilities extend genuine communication and genuine meaningful cooperation with my Office, both in relation to the current hostilities that we're investigating and also in respect to the previous crimes committed in Darfur. And we will be redoubling efforts to make sure that we can penetrate any obstruction that we face.
I think as the sky darkens over Darfur and in fact the people of Sudan, we must hold onto the light that justice can bring. Not because of some blind hope or blind faith but steered by determination, focus, and a decision. A decision to change things that we've seen in the past.
And there has been hope. In the last six months tremendous progress has been made in the ICC case regarding Ali Kushayb (Mr Abd-Al-Rahman), and we've closed our case after presenting 81 witnesses that have been tested by the defence and have been heard by the judges of the ICC.
That's a key milestone. And I would like to take the opportunity to commend my team, the men and women in my Office that have persevered in very difficult circumstances to discharge their responsibility with honour and with integrity and in an extraordinarily efficient manner.
And the voice of victims has been heard. Recently, victims called by the legal representatives of the victims have been heard before the Court, and they have been yearning for 20 years for an opportunity to present their views.
And one example, if I may, is worth repeating because it speaks both to their misery of the last 20 years, but also it speaks to what is befalling them now. And the words of one witness, I will repeat with your permission.
And I quote, he said: “I would like to say that we like justice and we want justice. We want that all those who turned our lives into humiliation and suffering and exhaustion to be held accountable. We want those who destroyed us to be held accountable. These people destroyed our future and the future of our generations. And in this moment, I am presenting to you my voice and the voice of all Darfurian refugees present everywhere around the world. And I would like to tell you that we want peace. We want to return to our homeland. It's enough now.”
Mr President, how could anybody be more eloquent, sincere, and simple than that individual who spoke understandable truths? He is right: it is enough now by any benchmark and by any metric.
And the power of that testimony, its tragic relevance today, underlines the fact that the trial of Mr Abd-Al-Rahman, despite all the difficulties, continues to make progress despite the current increased hostilities. And I'm pleased that because of the excellent trial management by the judges of the ICC, this has been the most effective, the most efficient trial in the history of the Court.
But we've got to make sure that it can come to a conclusion. And I call upon the government of Sudan to join me, to provide every assistance to the defence, every assistance to the legal representatives of the victims, every assistance to the Court so that that trial can come to a final determination after an assessment by the judges of the ICC.
But we need to show that we're delivering more than words and promises. We need to show demonstrable action. And I've said: this is going to be determined not only by the potency and the effectiveness of investigations, not even by the issuance of arrest warrants if judges of the ICC scrutinise any applications we present and are compelled to issue those warrants. But we need to see actual justice in court to separate truth from fiction and to give confidence to the people of Darfur that their lives mean something at all and that what took place is going to be justiciable.
I have said, Mr. President, repeatedly to this Council, that I do not want these Security Council referrals to be never-ending stories. I have tried to engage with the government of Sudan with roadmaps, with different options to make sure that justice in any forum is delivered in a way that can satisfy the objectives of the Council and the demands of justice.
But if authors are intent on writing further chapters of despair, further pages of misery, we will not close this book. We will keep reading, and we will ensure to the best of our ability that there is justice, that there is accountability. Because if we fail to deliver here, I think the implications are very severe. As we see in other situations, it calls into question the relevance of this Council.
And I make no apology, Mr President, when I make my final remark. Many actors in this conflict - and I'm a Muslim - many actors in this conflict on both parties proclaim to be Muslims. I recall not only their responsibilities under the Charter, their responsibilities under Resolution 1593, their commitments by Juba, their commitments in the MoU they signed, but also in terms of the religion that they profess to uphold, which is Islam.
And the Holy Quran, Surah An-Nisa, which is Chapter 4, Verse 135, makes it clear, and I quote: “Be upholders of justice and witnesses of truth, even though it be against yourselves or against your parents, or be it against rich or poor. If you distort justice, God Allah Ta'ala, knows that which you do.”
There has to be a day of reckoning in this world. And this is another reason why I encourage each and every person, however high in any party to a conflict, or any civilian, to speak the truth and avail themselves of the opportunity now to take the hand of justice and allow there to be some accountability that has been often promised and has not been delivered by the government of Sudan. I think only if we work in that way of humility will we vindicate the promises we've been making now since 2005.
Thank you so much.
For further details on "preliminary examinations" and "situations and cases" before the Court, click here, and here.
Source: Office of the Prosecutor | Contact: OTPNewsDesk@icc-cpi.int
View original: https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/statement-icc-prosecutor-karim-khan-kc-united-nations-security-council-situation-darfur-0
