NEW YORK – Two Sudanese lawyers have urged the U.N. Security Council to launch an independent investigation into video footage showing an armored vehicle bearing United Nations markings in the border area of Umm Dafoug in South Darfur, arguing that the incident could have implications for international humanitarian law and the credibility of the United Nations.

The request was submitted in an urgent legal memorandum to the President of the U.N. Security Council, with a copy addressed to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, by lawyers Dr. Mohamed Al-Zein Mohamed and Dr. Al-Tayeb Abdeljalil Hussein Mahmoud, who said they were acting on behalf of victims of Sudan’s war since fighting erupted in April 2023.

The memorandum calls for an independent forensic examination of digital and visual evidence to verify the identity and origin of the armored vehicle and determine whether protected U.N. emblems were used unlawfully in violation of international humanitarian law.

The lawyers also urged the Security Council to establish an independent technical investigation, examine possible foreign involvement in the incident and seek an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on its legal implications. They further requested an opportunity to brief the Council and present what they described as legal, technical and digital evidence related to the case.

The memorandum highlights the strategic importance of the Umm Dafoug border area, where Sudan meets Chad and the Central African Republic, describing it as a corridor used by smuggling networks, organized crime groups and irregular armed factions operating across the wider Sahel region.

It argues that any unlawful use of United Nations markings in such an area would extend beyond a local security incident, potentially affecting regional stability and undermining confidence in the neutrality of U.N. operations.

The request follows reports that an armed group operating in the Central African Republic previously attacked the border town of Umm Dafoug, temporarily seizing the area and capturing vehicles and equipment belonging to United Nations missions before government forces regained control.

The memorandum says the armored vehicle seen in widely circulated videos from Umm Dafoug is believed to be among the U.N. vehicles seized during that earlier attack. It adds that the vehicle may have been moved across the porous border and its U.N. markings unlawfully used by armed groups operating in the area, a claim it says requires an independent international investigation.

The submission comes as Sudan continues to raise concerns over cross-border movements of armed groups and weapons along its western frontier, while the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continues to draw international scrutiny over alleged foreign involvement and violations of international humanitarian law.