Rhino: Agencies – Next week, the UN Human Rights Council will vote on a draft resolution calling for a ceasefire in Sudan and the establishment of an independent international monitoring mechanism to ensure implementation.

A preliminary draft of the resolution considers violations committed against civilians to be war crimes that warrant referral to the International Criminal Court.

The 25-paragraph draft condemns the grave violations committed against civilians and stresses the need to hold those responsible to account, considering them war crimes and crimes against humanity.

According to the draft resolution, both sides in the war have committed flagrant violations of international humanitarian law, including the bombing of residential areas and infrastructure, extrajudicial killings, ethnically motivated attacks, and gender-based violence.

The Council warned of the serious consequences of the continuing war, saying: “The risk of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity in Sudan remains extremely high.”