A/HRC/42/63 73. Sources reported that nine women had been arrested by security forces on 7 March during their participation in the Sudanese women’s advocacy march organized by the Sudanese Professionals Association and opposition allies from the Forces for Freedom and Change. The women were referred to the emergency court in Khartoum and sentenced on 9 March to one month in prison and 20 lashes. The court of appeal in Khartoum nullified the sentence of the emergency court on 12 March. 74. Reliable sources reported the arrest of the deputy Chair of the National Umma Party, Mariam al-Mahdi, and her sister, Rabah al-Mahdi, by security forces on 7 March for their participation in the protests calling for the resignation of President al-Bashir. The two political leaders were presented to the emergency court in Khartoum, where they were sentenced to prison terms and fines. The sentence of the deputy Chair was believed to be the first court ruling against a leading political figure since the imposition of the state of emergency at the end of February. She was subsequently transferred to the women’s prison in Omdurman, where she was imprisoned for one week and then released. 75. Credible reports refer to a presidential order issued on 8 March to release all women detained in the women’s prison in Omdurman. According to human rights groups, about 37 women who had been arbitrarily detained by security forces were released, without having received sentences from the emergency courts. 76. The Independent Expert received allegations of dozens of instances of rape, gang rape and other forms of sexual violence against women and men that reportedly took place during the joint security operations led by the Rapid Support Forces in Khartoum on 3 June and the following days. A women’s union in Khartoum issued a statement on 24 June alleging that some 5,000 female vendors had been subjected to sexual violence and other abuses by members of the Rapid Support Forces, security forces and the military, and reported that five women who had disappeared after the 3 June violence remained missing. Human rights groups reported that women had allegedly been raped inside a clinic attached to the University of Khartoum, where they had run for safety from the security officers. It is possible that a number of other cases of rape and other forms of sexual violence went unreported, as many survivors likely did not seek medical treatment because of fear of reprisals, general insecurity in the city or limited options for medical and other assistance. F. Human rights situation in Darfur 77. During the period under review, the security situation and protection of human rights, especially of internally displaced persons, remained fragile in Darfur. According to information received by the Independent Expert, active clashes between government forces and armed groups were relatively infrequent and were localized in remote mountain areas. 78. The effective protection of vulnerable populations in Darfur requires urgent attention, especially in light of the planned withdrawal of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) by June 2020. Due to security concerns, a substantial part of the population in Darfur require protection, while at least 2 million civilians need humanitarian assistance, with over 25 per cent residing in 60 camps and gathering sites for internally displaced persons. Across Darfur, civilians continued to be subjected to killing, assault, abduction, conflict-related sexual violence and arbitrary arrest and detention. Human rights violations and abuses also persisted in localities with no active military operations, including in areas from which UNAMID withdrew in July 2018. Weak local mechanisms to hold perpetrators of abuses accountable and a generalized state of impunity further eroded the security situation and protection of human rights. 79. Since April, the political developments and protests in the capital and across the country had some ripple effects in Darfur, where thousands of protesters demonstrated in major towns and an increase in the number of documented violations was reported. Many of the protests in Darfur in the first half of 2019 were violently repressed by State security forces, including by members of the Rapid Support Forces. According to information received by the Independent Expert, at least 47 civilians were killed and 186 others were injured in various regions of Darfur between 11 April and 12 June. On a number of occasions, State security services suppressed dissent or acts of solidarity with the protests in 14