PUBLICATIONS #darfur

The war in Sudan has brought unparalleled damage to Darfur's healthcare infrastructure, leaving communities without vital medical services in a region already burdened by decades of conflict and neglect. The armed violence between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023 to date has ravaged hospitals scattered healthcare workers and ignited preventable disease outbreaks. This crisis exposes the heavy toll of conflict on the health and lives of Darfur’s population, underscoring an urgent need for humanitarian intervention.

ACJPS is appalled by the horrific attacks in Elfashir, the capital city of North Darfur that has resulted in bloodshed and massive displacement of residents and IDPs. Since April 2024, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been trying to take over Elfashir. The siege of Elfashir has devastated the city's infrastructure and disrupted essential services. Damage to electricity and water facilities has left many areas without power or running water, with a severe impact on hospitals, schools, and other critical services. Hospitals that remain open are struggling with inadequate supplies to treat the influx of wounded civilians and many succumbing to injuries.

ACJPS is deeply concerned about the escalating insecurity in Darfur state amidst the ongoing armed conflict in Sudan. We call upon the Sudanese authorities to launch an impartial investigation into the incident between RSF allied militia groups in a Market in Forbraga town, West Darfur state that resulted in the death of 12 Sudanese citizens.

The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) calls for urgent steps to be taken by Sudanese authorities to investigate and hold to account the perpetrators of the rape including the gang rape of 43 women and abduction of 26 others including 10 previously reported by ACJPS in South Darfur. Sudanese authorities should ensure the allocation of adequate resources and victim and witness protection in the cases, that took place since April 2023. One of the victims was raped repeatedly by three armed officers of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) including in her anus which led to bleeding till her death weeks later. Two others were beaten with a lash before being raped, also by RSF officers.

For the past seven months, particularly in May 2023, the Sudanese region of Darfur has been the scene of a bloody conflict that has led to the death of hundreds of civilians and the displacement of thousands. Darfur states are again ravaged by armed conflict, and atrocities are taking place on a comparable scale in the region. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) are still killing, raping and looting the same Darfurian communities. The international response to the ongoing conflict has been glacial and the reaction to the situation in Darfur is ever slower. This is even though what is happening in Darfur is a direct outcome of the first Darfur crisis of the early 2000s, which brought forth the RSF and its leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagolo, known as Hemedti.

ظل المركز الأفريقي للعدالة ودراسات السلام (ACJPS) يسعى لإيصال صوت النساء السودانيات وذلك من خلال توثيق حوادث وشهادات الناجيات من العنف الجنسي خلال النزاع المسلح المستمر في السودان مع التركيز على حوداث الإغتصاب والاستعباد الجنسي. و توضح الشهادات الواردة في هذا البيان إلى أن الاغتصاب هو ممارسة ممنهجة لدى قوات الدعم السريع شبه العسكرية في مناطق النزاع ومجموعات قطاع الطرق التي تستغل الفوضى. جميع الأسماء المستخدمة في هذا البيان هي أسماء مستعارة لحماية الضحايا.

Even though several armed conflicts have concluded with peace settlements, it remains an uncommon method for resolving violent conflicts due to the persistence of fundamental causes, making them prone to re-ignite. 1 For instance, the post-Cold War period, particularly between 1989 and 1999, saw over 110 armed conflicts, 75 of which had concluded by 1999 2 . The termination of conflicts varies, ending in victory, continuing at a low level, returning after some time, or concluding in a peace agreement. Notably, only 21 of the conflicts during the post-Cold War era ended in negotiated peace agreements, 22 in victories, and 32 became dormant conflicts.

During the period between 15 April to 30 October 2023, the African Center for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) documented a series of human rights violations particularly targeting the Al-hasahisa and Khamisa Dagig IDP camps located in Zalingei town in Central Darfur. During the reporting period, at least 70 people including children lost their lives, and 116 sustained injuries. There were also incidents of arbitrary arrest. ACJPS has also documented the names of victims and testimonies. It is however notable that most of the victims sustained injuries to their upper body parties such as the stomach, head, and chest areas to which they succumbed.