Western countries are preparing a push at the United Nations Human Rights Council to extend the mandate of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan for three years, as calls grow for continued investigations into wartime abuses and stronger accountability mechanisms.
The move comes as the council holds its 63rd session in Geneva, with Britain, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Norway preparing negotiations on a new resolution addressing Sudan’s worsening human rights and humanitarian crisis.
The proposed renewal would allow the mission to continue investigating alleged violations, collecting and preserving evidence and documenting testimony from victims and survivors of Sudan’s war.
Britain leads resolution effort
Britain, which is leading work on the Sudan file as part of the core group, has called for the mission’s mandate to be renewed, arguing that independently gathered evidence will be critical to future accountability efforts.
Britain’s permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Kumar Iyer, said countries and entities continuing to supply weapons to Sudan’s warring parties bear responsibility for prolonging the conflict and enabling further atrocities.
He said illicit arms flows were undermining prospects for peace and creating conditions for abuses to be repeated, including violations witnessed in El Fasher.
Iyer also welcomed cooperation between the UN fact-finding mission and the African Union’s investigative mechanism, calling for closer coordination in documenting violations, preserving evidence and identifying responsibility.
Germany has also confirmed that the core group intends to submit a resolution seeking renewal of the mission’s mandate and urged members of the Human Rights Council to support it.
EU backs broader arms embargo
The European Union has expressed support for renewing the mission, while warning of serious violations committed by both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces during the conflict.
The EU has also backed expanding the existing arms embargo on Darfur to cover all of Sudan and called for an end to direct and indirect military support to the warring sides.
It has further supported broadening the jurisdiction available to the International Criminal Court, whose current mandate in Sudan is tied to crimes committed in Darfur.
European states reiterated support for an inclusive Sudanese-led political transition aimed at ending the war and establishing democratic civilian rule.
Separately, the Atrocity Prevention and Justice for Sudan Group — which includes Britain, Canada, France, Germany, other states and the European Union — has called for an end to illegal weapons transfers and external support to the conflict.
The group warned that the growing use of drones was helping prolong the war and widening the threat to civilians, hospitals, markets, displacement sites and critical infrastructure.
Port Sudan authorities lobby against renewal
The army-aligned authorities in Port Sudan, meanwhile, are lobbying African states and other members of the Human Rights Council to oppose renewal of the mission.
They argue that the mission was established without the consent of Sudanese authorities and maintain that national judicial mechanisms are capable of investigating alleged violations.
The army-backed authorities have refused to cooperate with the fact-finding mission or allow its investigators access to Sudan.
Negotiations to begin September 14
Informal consultations on the draft resolution are due to begin on Monday, September 14, under the title “Responding to the human rights and humanitarian crisis caused by the ongoing armed conflict in Sudan.”
The consultations are expected to be led by the missions of Britain, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Norway.
Renewal of the fact-finding mission is expected to be one of the central elements of the negotiations, alongside the scope of its investigations and possible accountability mechanisms.
However, the formal text of the resolution has not yet been published, including the final wording on the proposed duration of the extension.
The talks are expected to determine whether the mission continues under its current mandate or is granted a broader and longer investigative role.
The renewal effort comes as Sudan’s war continues amid mounting allegations of abuses and continued foreign arms flows, increasing pressure on international bodies to preserve evidence and pursue accountability for crimes committed during the conflict.
