MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the political crisis in Sudan
18.1.2022 - (2022/2504(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 144 of the Rules of Procedure
Katrin Langensiepen, Bronis Ropė, Rosa D'Amato, Francisco Guerreiro, Piernicola Pedicini, Hannah Neumann, Eleonora Evi, Mounir Satouri, Caroline Roose, Ignazio Corrao, Tineke Strik, Pierrette Herzberger‑Fofana, Jordi Solé, Alviina Alametsä
on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B9-0068/2022
B9‑0070/2022
European Parliament resolution on the political crisis in Sudan
The European Parliament,
- having regard to its previous resolutions on Sudan,
- having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
- having regard to the Universal declaration on Human Rights,
- having regard to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights,
- having regard to the Cotonou agreement,
- having regard to Rule 135 of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas on 25 October the military in Sudan, under the leadership of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the joint civilian-military Sovereign Council, seized power by dissolving the transitional body heading the political power and declaring a state of emergency; whereas several civilian leaders, including Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, were arrested or placed under house arrest; whereas M. Hamdok was reinstated a few weeks later as part of an agreement with the military;
B. whereas since the military coup, hundreds of thousands of protesters demanding the reinstatement of the civilian-led government have demonstrated across the country and been violently repressed; whereas the protesters rejected Mr. Hamdok’s deal with the military and demanded the Generals hand over power to an independent civilian authority; whereas this return to political status quo fuelled further protests repressed with further violence of security forces in return;
C. whereas Sudan’s civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok resigned on 2nd January, plunging the country into further turmoil down as anti-military protests continued to rock the country;
D. whereas violent responses to protests by security forces include the use of sexual violence, reported in particular in demonstrations on 19th December; whereas the UN is currently investigating reports of 13 women and girls who were raped by members of the security forces;
E. whereas end of December the Security Council granted policing powers to the intelligence services, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the army, including the powers to search, detain, interrogate, and confiscate property; whereas members of these forces were also granted immunity from prosecution, which can only be lifted by the leaders of the Security Council itself;
F. whereas the World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported 15 attacks on healthcare workers and health facilities since last November;
G. whereas the security situation outside of Khartoum has also deteriorated since end of October; whereas in East Darfur hundreds of civilians have been killed and thousands are displaced; whereas many have also been killed and displaced in South Kordofan;
H. whereas the UN just started consultations with key stakeholders in Sudan, with the aim to invite the military, rebel groups, political parties, protest movements civil society and women’s groups to take part in the process;
I. Whereas in Sudan, the EU supports a mix of development and humanitarian assistance, including the highly controversial country's border control, counter-trafficking and counter-smuggling operations via the Khartoum Process;
J. whereas following the coup, the African Union suspended Sudan from all its activities; Several states and multilateral organizations, including the International Monetary Fund, paused foreign aid and halted disbursements; whereas the European Union announced its support to Sudan will be compromised if constitutional order is not restored; whereas, on the other hand, a number of regional and international partners of the EU – including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia - actively supported the Sudanese military economically and politically in particular through arms exports and purchases of raw materials;
K. whereas the Sudanese cabinet had unanimously agreed on 4 August to become a state party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), pending approval by the Sovereign Council, and would therefore hand over all suspects charged by the ICC for crimes committed in Darfur from 2003 to 2004, including former president Omar al-Bashir;
L. whereas on 3 June 2021 the UNSC extended the mandate of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), tasked to assist the Sudanese authorities during the transition to democracy, until June 2022;
M. whereas since end of October, the country faces regular and widespread internet shutdowns and disruption of communications networks;
1. Strongly condemns the military coup of 25th October and following wave of repression from Sudanese military against demonstrators as well as against political leaders, journalists, activists and human right defenders;
2. calls on immediately ending the use of violence, launching independent investigations into any reprehensible acts and holding the perpetrators accountable and immediate return to the rule of law as outlined in the transitional constitution;
3. Regrets that this violence is consistent with the long-standing practice of the Sudanese security forces to use excessive and lethal force, including live ammunition, to break up demonstrations in Sudan; notes that this modus operandi has increased markedly during demonstrations organised by unarmed civilians since the military coup;
4. Urges the Sudanese military to reverse the emergency order issued on 26th December, which restores the power of arrest and detention of the General Intelligence Service, a reversal of a law reform implemented during the transition, and provides blanket immunity to security forces responding to the ongoing protests;
5. Strongly calls on the Sudanese military to uphold its responsibility to protect and refrain from using excessive and deadly force against civilians and political leaders and activists, journalists and human right defenders;
6. Condemns the use of violence against women in any forms; calls on perpetrators of such violent acts, including in the context of the current protests, to be brought to justice;
7. Urges Sudanese authorities to respect and protect the peoples’ rights to freedom of assembly, association and expression in compliance with international standards;
8. calls on the Sudanese authorities to restore internet and communication services fully and permanently;
9. Calls on the immediate release of all journalists, political leaders, human rights activists, and other protesters currently in detention without charge or trial, and to allow those facing charges full access to legal representation;
10. calls on Sudanese authorities to urgently prevent the raise of intercommunal violence in Darfour and South Kordofan and to ensure protection of the population in these regions;
11. calls on the Sudanese authorities to ratify the Rome statute of the ICC and to remove from their posts official and security forces officers implicated in serious human right violations and war crimes;
12. Welcomes the initiative of consultations recently launched by the UN in Sudan; in this regard, encourages a Sudanese-led dialogue which involves all relevant political stakeholders, including women and youth, with the goal of launching direct negotiations to resolve the country’s political crisis;
13. calls on the international community including the European Union and its Special Representative for the Horn of Africa to support the UN initiative and to substantially provide support for a credible political transition that respects the people’s desire for democracy and peace;
14. Encourages Sudanese stakeholders to select a new civilian leadership agreed through an inclusive process involving a broad range of stakeholders, and identify clear timelines and processes for establishing the legislative and independent judicial authorities, creating accountability mechanisms, and laying the adequate framework for future democratic elections toward a comprehensive civilian rule;
15. calls on the EU delegation and Member States’ representation to fully apply the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders, including by requesting prison visits, observing trials, releasing public statements, raising cases with authorities at all levels, as well as issuing of emergency visas where appropriate;
16. urges the HR/VP, the Commission and Member States to ensure that the EU policy on migration do not undermine support for human rights in Sudan; given that Rapid Support Forces (RSF), have been assigned the task of border management within the Security Council, is concerned that EU and individual Member States’ cooperation with Sudan on migration management will reinforce the ability of the military to control and oppress people, for example by strengthening surveillance capacities, including at borders and by supplying equipment; calls on the EU and Member States to immediately stop any cooperation with Sudanese security bodies and border guards;
17. calls on the EU and Member States to maintain dialogue with the Sudanese authorities to renew the transition process until such time as the repression of the protests stops and there is clear and verifiable proof of significant improvements of the human rights situation in the country;
18. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Member States, the Vice President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Government of Sudan, the African Union, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Co-Presidents of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly and the Pan African Parliament.