Statement by the Al-Fajr NGO on the massacre in the village of Umm Samima in Western Kordofan
Statement by the Al-Fajr Organization on the massacre in the village of Umm Samima in Western Kordofan, Sudan - May 12, 2025Al-Fajr Organization for Peace, Development, and Justice
Media / Kordofan Region
Contact: Mr. Abdelmageed Haroun At: haroun@aford.org
WhatsApp: +256762197247
Submitted to:
United Nations Security Council
United Nations
International Human Rights Organizations
Historical Context
On Monday, May 12, 2025, the Al-Baraa terrorist Brigades, loyal to the Port Sudan government and affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, stormed the village of Umm Samima. With the support of the Joint Forces militias and the Sudanese army militia, they have perpetrated mass killings and ethnic cleansing.
The forced displacement of populations from the Al-Khawa and Umm Samima regions of West Kordofan State constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian laws, norms, and conventions. Many innocent civilians, not involved in the armed conflict between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese armed forces, have been massacred. This violation compels us to refer to the following international laws:
Legal References
1. Violations of International Humanitarian Law:
The 1949 Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols prohibit acts of violence against civilians (Common Article 3).
Additional Protocol II (1977) prohibits the deliberate targeting or attacking of civilians (Article 13).
The principle of distinction requires a distinction to be made between combatants and civilians; failure to respect it constitutes a war crime.
2. Human Rights Violations:
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 3): Right to life and security of person.
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Article 6): Prohibition of arbitrary deprivation of life.
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948): Applicable if the attack targets a specific ethnic or religious group.
3. Violations of the Rome Statute (International Criminal Court):
Crimes against humanity (Article 7): If the attack is part of a widespread offensive against civilians.
War crimes (Article 8): Particularly in cases of armed conflict.
Requests and Actions
Based on the above, we call on the international community, particularly the United Nations Security Council and the International Criminal Court, to act immediately and decisively to ensure justice and accountability:
1. Investigation and Prosecution
Open an independent international investigation under UN supervision to document this crime.
Transfer the case to the International Criminal Court and request the Prosecutor to open a formal investigation (Article 15 of the Rome Statute).
2. Sanctions and International Recognition
Designate this massacre as a war crime and/or a crime against humanity.
Bring to justice the military and political leaders supporting the Al-Baraa Brigades.
Impose individual and collective sanctions against the leaders of these Brigades and their supporters.
Officially list the Al-Baraa Brigades as a terrorist organization on the lists of the United Nations, the European Union, and the United States. Establish international observers to protect civilians in Kordofan.
3. Actions by the Security Council
Adopt a binding resolution under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter to end this violence and prosecute those responsible.
Refer the situation in Sudan to the International Criminal Court if the Sudanese government refuses to cooperate. Justice delayed is justice denied. These crimes must not go unpunished.
Leave A Comment