A medical aid organisation has called on the international community to pressure foreign actors providing military support to the Sudanese army, arguing that external assistance is helping prolong the country’s war and the suffering of civilians.
The Guinea Medical Aid Association (ADEMEG) made the appeal during a session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Friday, saying Sudanese civilians continue to bear a devastating cost more than three years after the conflict began.
The organisation said violations, displacement and the destruction of homes, health facilities and infrastructure remain widespread, while access to food, clean water, healthcare and education has sharply deteriorated.
ADEMEG said recent international reports continued to document serious violations attributed to the Sudanese Armed Forces and authorities aligned with them, alongside the broader impact of the war on the civil, political, economic and social rights of Sudanese people.
The group welcomed international and regional efforts to revive a political process and reiterated calls for a negotiated settlement, saying there was no military solution to the conflict.
It urged the authorities based in Port Sudan to engage seriously in peace negotiations aimed at ending hostilities, protecting civilians and paving the way for civilian democratic rule.
The organisation also called for an end to foreign support that enables the continuation of the war and for those responsible for violations to be held accountable.
It said lasting protection for Sudanese civilians would require an end to the conflict, meaningful accountability and the establishment of sustainable peace and civilian government.
The intervention comes amid growing scrutiny at the Human Rights Council over weapons and foreign military support reaching Sudan’s warring parties.
The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan has warned that external support networks have strengthened the military capabilities of the parties to the conflict, allowing increasingly sophisticated operations and contributing to civilian casualties and damage to critical infrastructure.
The council is considering a resolution on the human rights and humanitarian crisis in Sudan sponsored by Britain, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Norway. Discussions include extending the mandate of the fact-finding mission and strengthening mechanisms for civilian protection and accountability.
The debate has placed foreign involvement in Sudan’s war increasingly at the centre of discussions in Geneva, with calls for efforts to end the conflict to address not only political negotiations but also the outside financing, weapons and military assistance that allow the fighting to continue.
