UNITED NATIONS, Jul 11 (APP): Amid a deepening conflict between the Sudan’s Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that has plunged the country’s Darfur region into a humanitarian disaster, Pakistan has underscored the need for justice and accountability to move the dispute towards a resolution.
“The blatant violations of International Humanitarian Law with impunity must end,” Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, permanent representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, told the UN security Council during a debate on the situation in Sudan’s Darfur region.
“For the Sudanese people, there must be light at the end of the tunnel,” he added.
The Pakistani envoy noted that despite the ICC referral over two decades ago, atrocities in Darfur continue, saying that victims, such as those in Zamzam camp, still await justice, and he demanded that the perpetrators must be held accountable.
Pakistan, he said, is committed to the objective of accountability for all international crimes, whether committed in Darfur, Sudan or elsewhere.
“The reality is that some jurisdictions have remained immune from prosecution despite widely reported crimes, including those committed in situations of foreign occupation and external intervention,” Ambassador Asim Iftikhar pointed out.
“Selectivity and double standards discredit the notion of international justice and accountability. Work of institutions like the ICC will gain global credibility when driven by universal respect for and application of international law, with full objectivity and impartiality.”
At the outset, the Deputy Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Nazhat Shameem Khan, told the Council that the court has “reasonable grounds to believe” that both war crimes and crimes against humanity are being committed in region.
Among the most disturbing patterns, she said, is the targeted use of sexual violence, including rape, abduction, and gender-based assaults – a campaign often directed at women and girls from specific ethnic communities.
The Pakistani envoy said that the pursuit of transitional justice cannot be separated from the process of stabilizing the country.
In this regard, he urged the international community to prioritize strengthening Sudan’s national justice institutions through technical and other support, enabling them to prosecute the offenders, and ensuring that transitional justice becomes the foundation for sustainable peace in Sudan.
“Cooperation between the ICC and the Sudanese government must engender a holistic approach to accountability that respects complementarity and national sovereignty,” he said.
Ambassador Asim Iftikhar emphasized that at a balanced approach, respecting Sudan’s sovereignty and complementarity with the ICC, was critical for transitional justice.
In conclusion, he called on the Security Council to urgently pursue a ceasefire and political settlement in Sudan, while fully upholding the country’s unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.