Western states push UN rights body to monitor Sudan abuses

Britain, the U.S. and other mostly Western countries condemned abuses by Sudan’s warring factions and called on the U.N. Human Rights Council to step up monitoring of the conflict at an emergency meeting of the body on Thursday.
Sudan’s ambassador to the body hit back at the suggestions of outside involvement, described the conflict as an internal affair and called for “African solutions for African problems”.
U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk told the 47-member council that both sides had “trampled” on international humanitarian law.
Four countries – Britain, the United States, Germany and Norway – are leading efforts to pass a motion to give the U.N.’s Sudan expert more powers to monitor and document reports of abuses. A vote is expected later on Thursday.
Battles between Sudan’s army and rival paramilitary forces have killed hundreds and wounded thousands, disrupted aid supplies, sent refugees fleeing abroad and turned residential areas of Khartoum into war zones since mid-April.