This archive report was first published on 21 December 2021.
Reports of sexual violence and live ammunition use against protesters in Sudan must be investigated immediately, the UN rights office said on Tuesday, December 21, 2021.
Allegations surfaced after demonstrations in Khartoum on Sunday, where tens of thousands had massed to mark the third anniversary of protests that led to the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.
UN rights office spokesperson Liz Throssell said demonstrators were protesting against the October military coup and the political agreement signed later. Security forces are alleged to have raped or gang raped 13 women and girls, she said.
Two protesters died after being shot, and 300 others were injured, with some hit by live ammunition or tear gas canisters, or beaten by security forces. Others suffered breathing difficulties after inhaling tear gas.
“With further protests planned, it is crucial that security forces guarantee and protect the right to peaceful assembly and act with full respect for international laws and standards regulating the use of force,” Ms. Throssell insisted.
The UN rights office called for the perpetrators to be identified and prosecuted, highlighting the “unnecessary or disproportionate use of force, in particular use of live ammunition.”
Elsewhere in Sudan, the UN rights office spokesperson pointed to a deadly uptick in intercommunal violence in Darfur and South Kordofan, resulting in at least 250 civilians killed, 197 injured, and more than 50,000 displaced since September.
