Swiss hail historic Sudan peace, urge more reforms
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has expressed concern about ongoing violence in parts of Sudan, such as western Darfur where this village was attacked in July.
Mustafa Younes
Switzerland has hailed a peace deal for Sudan due to be signed on Saturday, urging the country’s authorities to continue political, economic and judicial reforms.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/jc
العربية
ar
سويسرا تُشيد بـ “سلام تاريخي” في السودان وتحث على مزيد الإصلاحات
Addressing a session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Friday, it said the peace accord was a “historic step” for democracy and reconciliation in Sudan. But it said the government must pursue reforms so that perpetrators of crimes and human rights violations are held accountable.
The transitional Sudanese government and a coalition of rebel groups from Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile are to sign the deal in Juba, capital of South Sudan, to end nearly two decades of civil war. This comes after the December 2018 revolution unseated long-time president Omar Al- Bashir, accused of genocide and crimes against humanity in Darfur by the International Criminal Court.
Nobel prize-winner under threat
Speaking to the Human Rights Council earlier in the day, Switzerland also expressed concern about ongoing threats against Nobel prize winning Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege, hailing his “commitment” to the victims of serious crimes.
Gynaecologist Mukwege, known as the “man who repairs women”, works with rape victims in eastern Democratic of Congo. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018 with Yazidi rape victim Nadia Murad “for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict.”
UN police have been protecting Mukwege’s clinic in eastern DRC for the past month. He complained of receiving serious threats after he denounced a massacre of civilians in the region.
The current Human Rights Council session in Geneva is due to close on October 7 with a number of decisions on various issues.
How is your country dealing with the return of stolen artifacts?
Western nations like Switzerland often have to deal with the process of recovering or returning looted artifacts which have been illegally imported. What’s the situation like in your country?
What do you think Switzerland’s Alain Berset can bring to the Council of Europe?
The former interior minister is to become the first Swiss Secretary General of the Council of Europe – which issues should his five-year term focus on?
Swiss helicopter rescue pioneers safe autopilot approach system
This content was published on
Swiss air rescue company Rega has received approval for a new kind of instrument flight system for approaching a hospital.
Algerian to face trial in Switzerland for ties to Islamic State
This content was published on
A 51-year-old Algerian man has been charged by the Swiss Federal Prosecutor's Office for involvement in the banned terrorist group.
Sylvain Saudan, ‘skier of the impossible’, dies aged 87
This content was published on
The Swiss father of extreme skiing pioneered descents from the Alps to the Himalayas – and became the sport’s first star.
Hayek family buys additional Swatch shares for nearly CHF11 million
This content was published on
Following the acquisition of registered shares worth over CHF20.6 million on Monday, the Hayek family made another purchase on Tuesday.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss join criticism of Saudi Arabia at UN rights council
This content was published on
Switzerland has signed a statement with dozens of Western countries raising serious concerns about human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia.
Inside Geneva: Are ‘unalienable rights’ undermining human rights?
This content was published on
The latest episode of the Inside Geneva podcast looks at US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's intervention into the human rights debate.
Call to get tough on China as UN rights body prepares to meet
This content was published on
More than 300 NGOs from around the world are calling on the UN to set up an international mechanism to address Chinese human rights violations.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.