UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the violence and “the use of force to disperse the protesters” at a sit-in in Sudan, saying in a statement that he was also alarmed at reports that “security forces have opened fire inside medical facilities”.
Guterres reminded the Transitional Military Council of its responsibility for “the safety and security of the citizens of Sudan”, and urged all parties to “act with utmost restraint”, including their responsibility to uphold “the human rights of all citizens, including the right to freedom of assembly and of expression”.”
The statement, published by Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for Guterres, called for “unimpeded access to deliver essential care” at the sit-in site outside army headquarters in the capital Khartoum, and in hospitals “where the wounded are treated.”
Guterres urged the Sudanese authorities to “facilitate an independent investigation into the deaths and to hold those responsible accountable”.
He also called on the Sudanese parties “to pursue peaceful dialogue and to stay the course in the negotiations over the transfer of power to a civilian-led transitional authority, as required by the African Union (AU)”, emphasizing his commitment to working with the AU in support of the process, saying that the UN “stands ready to support the Sudanese stakeholders in their efforts to build lasting peace”.
In a separate statement also released by Dujarric, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called the peaceful demonstrations in Sudan “an inspiration” as the protesters worked “to engage with the Transitional Military Council”.
“I utterly deplore the apparent use of excessive force in the protest camps” she said.
Bachelet noted that reports stating that live ammunition was used by security forces next to, and even inside, medical facilities are “extremely alarming”.
“I urge the security forces to immediately halt such attacks, and to ensure safe, unimpeded access to medical care for all”, she added.
