Renewal of the Fact-Finding Mission’s Mandate: Can Evidence Pave the Way for Justice and Redress fo

03:53 AM October, 17 2026

Sudanese Online
محمد عبدالله ابراهيم-الخرطوم-السودان
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“International resolutions alone are not enough to deliver justice to victims of war unless they are translated into concrete commitments that protect the truth from being lost, preserve evidence from disappearing, and pave the way for accountability and reparations. Justice is not merely an acknowledgment of violations; it is a responsibility that requires establishing the truth, identifying those responsible, and ensuring that victims’ rights are not lost amid the continuing war, political complexities, and the limitations of the international response.”



On October 5, 2026, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution extending the mandate of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan for an additional year, with 28 countries voting in favor, 10 against, and 9 abstaining.



The resolution was adopted as the war continues, accompanied by serious violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law. It reaffirmed the need to protect civilians, end hostilities, and ensure unhindered humanitarian access to populations facing hunger, deprivation, and deteriorating humanitarian conditions in conflict-affected areas across Sudan. However, the significance of the resolution extends beyond simply renewing the Mission’s mandate. It places the seriousness of the international community’s commitment to victims’ rights under a critical test: Is there sufficient political will, adequate resources, and practical safeguards to enable the Mission to establish the truth, preserve evidence, and determine responsibilities in ways that strengthen prospects for accountability and safeguard victims’ rights to justice, redress, and reparations؟



The importance of this test becomes clear when considering what the continuation of investigations means for victims of the war in Sudan. Renewing the Mission’s mandate is not merely a United Nations procedure governed by a specific timeframe or institutional arrangements; it concerns fundamental rights that should not be subject to political or military power dynamics. Victims who have lost their security, homes, and livelihoods, and who have experienced various forms of violations, seek more than acknowledgment of their suffering. They aspire to an independent path toward justice that establishes what happened, determines responsibility, and safeguards their rights to redress, accountability, and reparations. This underscores the importance of continuing international investigations to prevent the truth from being concealed and to ensure that violations do not become mere events preserved in collective memory while those responsible remain beyond the reach of legal accountability.



In this context, Human Rights Watch welcomed the renewal of the Mission’s mandate and the growing international support for its continued work. However, the organization criticized the failure to take sufficient steps to strengthen the Mission’s capacity to preserve evidence and prepare it for use in future judicial proceedings. These observations highlight a significant challenge: the potential gap between the scale of the Mission’s responsibilities and the resources available to fulfill them, particularly as violations become more widespread and investigations increasingly complex. International support cannot achieve its full value unless it is accompanied by practical commitments and sufficient resources to enable the Mission to carry out its responsibilities efficiently and independently.



Such support is particularly important because collecting, documenting, verifying, and preserving evidence has been an integral part of the Mission’s mandate since its establishment in October 2023, alongside identifying those potentially responsible for violations based on available evidence. Accordingly, providing specialized resources and expertise does not constitute an expansion of the Mission’s mandate. Rather, it enables the Mission to fulfill its existing responsibilities in accordance with legal and professional standards, strengthening the potential use of its investigative findings in justice and accountability processes.



Before the renewal decision, dozens of Sudanese civil society organizations had called for a two-year extension of the Mission’s mandate and the provision of the financial, technical, and logistical support necessary for its continued investigations. In August, these organizations urged the international community to strengthen the Mission’s capabilities and address the challenges affecting its work, enabling it to conduct urgent investigations into reported violations. These demands reflect the importance of allocating sufficient time and resources for thorough and independent investigations. The true measure of an investigation’s effectiveness lies not in the number of testimonies collected or reports published, but in the accuracy of its findings, the reliability of its evidence, and the extent to which that evidence can support accountability proceedings. As violations continue, the urgent collection, verification, and preservation of evidence become increasingly necessary to prevent its loss, deterioration, or inaccessibility.



The importance of rigorous documentation is also evident amid the widespread circulation of photographs, videos, and testimonies through media outlets and digital platforms. Although such materials play an important role in exposing violations and drawing attention to civilian suffering, their circulation does not automatically establish their legal evidentiary value. Their use in accountability proceedings requires verification of their sources, dates, locations, and authenticity, as well as comparison with independent information and testimonies that strengthen their reliability. There is a fundamental distinction between documenting violations for public awareness and establishing them according to legal standards that allow responsibility to be determined and perpetrators to be prosecuted. Moreover, the importance of evidence extends beyond criminal accountability to supporting victims’ rights to remedies and reparations.



For the first time, the resolution renewing the Mission’s mandate included an explicit reference to the importance of preserving evidence for accountability purposes, including future remedies and reparations. This addition is particularly significant in Sudan, where the war has caused extensive harm to the lives, security, property, and livelihoods of millions of civilians. It strengthens the connection between documenting violations and protecting the rights of those affected, while allowing evidence to be used to establish the nature and consequences of harm and support legal claims for reparations.



Evidence preservation can therefore provide a foundation for two complementary paths toward justice. The first concerns holding those responsible for violations accountable, while the second involves enabling victims to claim compensation, restitution, rehabilitation, and guarantees of non-repetition. However, translating this recognition into meaningful redress requires the development of independent and effective legal and institutional mechanisms for reparations, together with the resources and safeguards necessary to ensure that affected individuals can access justice and obtain appropriate remedies. Reparations are not a favor granted to victims but a fundamental right. Justice cannot be achieved solely by holding those responsible for violations accountable unless accountability is accompanied by measures that address the consequences of those violations, restore the dignity of those affected, and recognize their rights.



Victims’ rights to justice and reparations cannot be separated from the need to provide effective protection for them and for witnesses who give testimony or present evidence concerning violations. These individuals are not merely sources of information; they are rights holders entitled to dignity, privacy, security, and protection from threats and retaliation. Justice cannot be meaningful if participation in establishing the truth exposes them to further risks. This responsibility to provide protection also extends to Sudanese civil society organizations, human rights initiatives, journalists, and human rights defenders who contribute to documenting violations despite serious security and operational challenges. Their expertise, understanding of local contexts, and ability to access information and testimonies make an important contribution to independent investigative efforts.



To strengthen the effectiveness of these efforts, the renewal resolution emphasized the importance of cooperation and complementarity among accountability mechanisms, including independent national initiatives and regional investigations, particularly the Joint Fact-Finding Mission of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. This approach creates opportunities to coordinate efforts, exchange expertise, and make better use of investigative findings. The resolution also provided for continued United Nations follow-up through briefings and reports submitted to the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly, while allowing civil society participation in certain interactive dialogues. These measures help sustain international scrutiny and strengthen opportunities to use investigative findings in accountability processes and efforts to secure justice and redress for victims.



Mohamed Abdallah Ibrahim

mohammedabdalluh2000@gmail.com

Arabic Forum