Australia welcomes the High Commissioner’s oral update and thanks the panellists for their contributions.

We remain concerned by ongoing reports of disproportionate use of force against civilian protesters, and a ‘campaign of arrests’ of civil society and pro-democracy figures in Sudan. The rights of the people of Sudan to freedom of expression and to peaceful assembly and association must be ensured, and a safe environment for journalists provided. The use of arbitrary detention must stop, and all civilians remaining in detention because of the October 2021 military takeover and related protests released.

Within this context, women and children must be protected from violence, and their voices heard. We object to the reported arrest of Sudanese women’s rights campaigners and what the UN has referred to as a “pattern of violence against women’s rights activists”. Women’s participation is vital for a stable and peaceful Sudan.

Australia asks the High Commissioner how the international community and the Council can encourage stakeholders to negotiate in good faith towards a return to a civilian-led democratic transition process.