The tensions that had been brewing between General Abdel Fatah Al-Burhan, commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and General Hemedti Dagalo, commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) eventually erupted into armed conflict in Sudan on 15th April 2023. The conflict has since continued to escalate, advancing to several states in Sudan. The fact that military headquarters/bases are located within neighborhoods occupied by civilians has made them vulnerable to attacks by the opposing party. Unfortunately, IDP camps have constantly been targeted significantly narrowing the safe areas for civilians.
Both SAF and RSF have been accused of participating in and perpetuating human rights violations against civilians. The violations range from extrajudicial killings to enforced disappearance, sexual violence against women and girls to the use of child soldiers, arbitrary arrests to incommunicado detention of civilians based on their ethnicity or political affiliation. Those most affected are; political activists, human rights defenders, resistance committee members, civil activists, and other professionals among others.Several groups including national, regional, and international organizations, and religious leaders continue to advocate against the senseless war that has cost the Sudanese people.
The first step to ending the war is agreeing to a ceasefire and opening humanitarian corridors to allow access to relief/aid to the Sudanese people in far-to-reach areas, war zones, and areas that have been cut off from the rest of the country by the use of emergency decrees that restrict their movements. The emergency rooms can be used as a tool to advance the said aid to the people.
The current lawlessness and the collapse of the justice system facilitated the escape of prisoners and furthered the commission of crimes with no immediate consequences.
ACJPS has continued to monitor the situation in Sudan since the outbreak of the war and in this detailed report, we document some incidents of arbitrary arrest, incommunicado detention, torture, and ill-treatment committed by the warring parties.