(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) GENEVA, Nov 14 (KUNA) -- The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on Friday called on the UN Security Council (UNSC) to urgently refer the situation across Sudan to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and to extend the arms embargo currently applied to Darfur to the rest of the country.
Speaking in a special session of the Human Rights Council convened in Geneva on the situation in (El Fasher), Turk urged States to take measures against individuals and companies that "fuel the war and profit from it." He stressed that Sudan has been drawn into a proxy struggle over its natural resources involving a number of States within and beyond the region.
He appealed to the international community to adopt urgent and effective steps to ensure accountability for all those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law in Sudan, noting that conditions in and around (El Fasher) have reached "catastrophic" levels.
He affirmed that his staff continue to collect evidence that could support legal proceedings to pursue those responsible, and announced that additional missions are being sent to areas where civilians are fleeing.
Turk said reports received by his Office since the Rapid Support Forces seized (El Fasher) confirm mass killings of civilians ethnically driven executions sexual violence including gang rape kidnappings for ransom and assaults on health facilities and humanitarian personnel describing these acts as "a documented and recurring pattern" in the context of the conflict.
The High Commissioner underlined the need for States to coordinate efforts to ensure accountability and to prevent impunity warning all parties to the conflict are being watched and justice will prevail.
Turk also called on States with influence to take immediate tangible steps to protect civilians in (El Fasher) press for unhindered humanitarian access and fully fund relief operations.
He urged the warring parties to put Sudan's interests first engage in serious peace talks agree to a humanitarian truce and commit to a transitional path toward inclusive civilian governance, while adhering to their international obligations to protect civilians and allow aid to flow safely.
Turk noted that his Office had issued more than twenty statements over the past year, warning of a tightening siege looming famine and the dangers that accompanied the advance on the city describing the recent events in (El Fasher) as "the gravest of crimes".
He further warned of escalating violence in (Kordofan) where reports point to shelling blockades and large-scale displacement, stressing that the region must not be allowed to face the same fate as (Darfur).
The Council is scheduled to consider a draft resolution on Friday, calling for the establishment of an independent mechanism to monitor ceasefire efforts and advance a Sudanese-led path toward a peaceful settlement and for launching an inclusive political transition that would lead, after a civilian-led interim period to a democratically elected national government. (end) imk

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