Sudantribune.com: Sudan to resist Washington’s attempts to move it back to international monitoring :official

September 6, 2015 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan’s foreign ministry said its mission in Geneva is making intensive efforts to abort moves by the United States at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to relegate Sudan to agenda item 4 which means that human rights situation in the country requires the world’s attention and monitoring.

A general view of participants during the 29th Regular Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on 3 July 2015 - (UN Photo)

Sudan’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Ali al-Sadiq, has vehemently criticized Washington for seeking to move Sudan back to agenda item 4, stressing that Sudan’s mission in Geneva would coordinate with the friendly nations within the UNHRC to resist the U.S. attempts.

“This is not the first time that some western countries target Sudan and seek to move it back to the square of trusteeship,” he told reporters on Sunday.

Al-Sadiq stressed that Sudan and its allies are capable of refuting any claim by the U.S., pointing to efforts made by the government to improve human rights conditions “away from the misleading fallacies by parties hostile to Sudan”.

In November 2013 the then Sudanese foreign minister Ali Karti offered rare praise of the U.S. disclosing that it had played a significant role in the UNHRC’s resolution which kept Sudan under agenda item 10 of technical assistance for another year, despite attempts by some parties to move Sudan back to agenda item 4 of monitoring.

Last week, media reports said that Washington has embarked on moves within the UNHRC to move Sudan back to agenda item 4 which allows intervention under chapter 7 of the UN charter.

The US representative announced during a procedural session at the UNHRC that his country intends to lodge a draft resolution to relegate Sudan to agenda item 4 which provides for appointing a special rapporteur for human rights in the country.

Observers say that Washington’s move was intended to put pressure on Khartoum particularly as agenda item 4 allows for international intervention in the country’s internal affairs on issues pertaining to human rights.

It is worth mentioning that recent reports of international rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have accused the Sudanese army and its allied militias of committing war crimes in the conflicts areas.

This week, a Sudanese rights group, the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) sent a letter to the members and observer states of the UN Human Rights Council saying that human rights situation in Sudan continue to deteriorate, and marked by harsh political repression and continued impunity.

"Over the past four years in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile, the Sudanese government has engaged in indiscriminate and targeted aerial bombardment of civilian areas, killing and wounding hundreds, if not thousands, of civilians," said the ACJPS.

The group further urged the different delegations "to support the development and adoption of a strong and responsive resolution on Sudan under agenda Item 4 at the 30th session of the Human Rights Council in September".