On the 12th of November 2020, the Geneva Institute for Human Rights signed a memorandum of understanding with the Sudanese Armed Forces represented by the Military Justice Department. This signing took place at the headquarters of the General Command of the Sudanese Armed Forces in the presence of Nazar Abdelgadir Saleh, Executive Director of the Institute and Dr. Mahdi Abdul Rahman Muhammad Omar, Director of the Military Justice Department.
Executive Director of GIHR Nazar Abdegadir affirmed the Institutes keenness to assist Sudanese government agencies, particularly sovereign bodies such as the armed forces and justice agencies during this important period in Sudan’s history. The aim is to enhance their performance by enhancing their capabilities in the field of international human rights and humanitarian law.
Furthermore, it was highlighted that the strong will of these agencies to enhance their capacities is an excellent indicator of desire to ensure compliance with international standards and the adoption of international best practices.
Major-General Al-Mahdi Abdul-Rahman stated that the signing of this memorandum reflects the seriousness of the Armed Forces to strengthen the capacities and understanding of its members in the field of international human rights and humanitarian law. This is also evident through the Child Rights Unit established in the Armed Forces in 2009, where approximately 8,000 members have been trained on child rights and child protection in armed conflict.
We look forward to Sudan’s successful transition into a State that promotes and protects human rights and ensures adherence to the principles of international law. This step is essential in building a developed and democratic Sudan, capable of interacting with the international community and achieving the aspirations of its people for progress, development and stability.
The Sudanese Armed Forces are a national military institution that exercises its competencies and tasks in accordance with the Draft Constitutional Declaration (2019 Sudanese transition to democracy). Its competencies range from securing the respect for the rule of law as stipulated under Article 6 of the Armed Forces Act of 2007, protecting the unity and sovereignty of the nation (Article 34) and to work towards developing its capacities in accordance with Article 7.
In that regard, the Memorandum of Understanding stipulates that the two parties shall cooperate through the exchanging of experiences, organizing conferences, seminars, workshops and training courses and preparing studies in the field of human rights, international humanitarian law, combating human trafficking and international asylum law.
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