Greetings from SudanDefenders!
Dear Readers,
As the Chairperson, it is an honour and a privilege to address you in this edition of our newsletter. I want to take a moment to reflect on the pressing challenges of our time, particularly in relation to human rights and the ongoing conflict that continues to affect countless lives in Sudan.
The human rights crisis in Sudan continues to deteriorate at an alarming rate. Since the conflict erupted in April 2023, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and associated militias have committed widespread and systematic violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. Human rights defenders, lawyers, activists, and civilians are being targeted, detained, tortured, forcibly disappeared, and killed, amidst a backdrop of impunity and international inaction.
Human rights defenders have faced persecution across Sudan, especially in conflict-affected areas. For example, prominent lawyer and activist Khaled Omar Al-Sadig Ali (Khaled Abu Al-Rous) was forcibly disappeared by the RSF in December 2024. More than three months later, his fate remains unknown. Similarly, lawyer Montaser Abdullah was arbitrarily arrested in Port Sudan after legally challenging the prosecution of former Prime Minister Dr. Abdalla Hamdok and others. These cases highlight the increasing criminalization of legitimate human rights and legal work.
In North Darfur, El Fasher is under siege, with over 100 civilians killed and more than 200 injured by RSF shelling in a single month. In South Darfur, IDP leaders like Abdel Raziq Hassan Jalis have been assassinated, with eyewitnesses holding the RSF responsible. Human rights defenders and humanitarian workers in the area are at risk of targeted violence and cannot operate safely.
In North Kordofan, a horrific escalation of violence included the rape of women and girls, the burning of villages, drone attacks on civilian sites, and mass killings in places like Nahud City and Khamas Halab. The South Kordofan region has also witnessed arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances of activists and volunteers by SAF and RSF operatives, as seen in Abu Jubeiha and Kadugli.
The UN Human Rights Office documented credible reports of torture, inhumane conditions, and deaths in custody in both SAF and RSF detention sites. Detainees, including children as young as 13, were held without charge in overcrowded, unsanitary facilities with no medical care. Ethnic discrimination was rampant, particularly against individuals from Darfur and Kordofan.
The near-total communications blackout has crippled the ability of human rights defenders to document abuses and coordinate responses. It also restricts humanitarian access and violates the right to freedom of expression.
Despite a UN arms embargo on Darfur, weapons continue to flood into Sudan, especially from UAE, Turkey, Russia, and China. The lack of an embargo covering the entire country, combined with ineffective enforcement, fuels the ongoing atrocities.
Now more than ever, our role is to amplify the voices of the silenced, document violations, and call for accountability and international action. This issue sheds light on the grave abuses taking place across the country—from Darfur to Kordofan, from Khartoum to the camps of displaced persons. It is a sobering reminder of the cost of impunity and the urgent need for justice.
Let us continue to stand in solidarity with those who defend human dignity under unimaginable conditions. We hope this newsletter informs, mobilises, and inspires action.
Our latest issue highlights Ms Yagwb ( her name has been changed to protect her identity) , whose story of resilience and determination shines through the darkness in a world of turmoil. It cries out to the world to pay attention to the situation in Sudan.
I invite you all to delve into our April newsletter here.
Shawqi Yaqoub
Chairperson, Board of Directors