Mereja.Forum

[Abe Abraham]

• OHCHR: Reports of 13 women and girls being raped and harassed by Sudanese security forces.
  
  
  
  
  OHCHR has called for an urgent, independent and comprehensive investigation into the allegations of rape and sexual harassment, as well as the killing and injury of protesters as a result of the unnecessary or disproportionate use of force, in particular the use of live ammunition.
  
  The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva announced that it had received extremely disturbing reports of sexual violence and harassment by security forces in Sudan against female demonstrators during the December 19 protests.
  
  The Commission said in a press circular that its office in Sudan had received reports of 13 women and girls being raped and sexually harassed by the Sudanese security forces against women who were trying to escape from the area surrounding the presidential palace on Sunday evening.
  
  Two protesters were killed after being shot, and about 300 others were injured, some due to the use of live ammunition during the December 19 protests, some were hit with tear gas canisters or beaten by security forces, and others had breathing difficulties from inhaling the tear gas.
  
  The Commission stressed the need to identify the perpetrators and prosecute them.
  
  The High Commissioner directed veiled criticism of the Public Prosecution in Sudan and said that she had noticed
  The Public Prosecutor established a committee of senior public prosecutors to investigate all human rights violations and other incidents since the military coup on October 25, 2021. It continued, “We called on the national authorities to publicly publish the findings of this investigation committee, with the aim of holding those responsible for human rights violations and abuses accountable.”
  
  This comes at a time when UNHCR has expressed its deep concern about the increase in sectarian violence in Darfur and South Kordofan. Since September, at least 250 civilians have been killed, 197 have been injured, and more than 50,000 have been displaced by sectarian violence.