SudanDefenders September 2026 Newsletter

Dear Readers, Partners and Friends of Sudan,

As we present the September 2026 edition of the Sudan Defenders Monthly Newsletter, we do so at a time when Sudan continues to endure a profound human rights and humanitarian crisis. Behind every documented violation is a person, a family and a community whose rights, dignity and hopes for justice must never be forgotten.

Throughout September, human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, humanitarian workers and civilians continued to face arbitrary arrest and prolonged detention, enforced disappearance, restrictions on freedom of expression and civic space, allegations of torture and ill-treatment, and deaths in detention. The newsletter also draws attention to the continuing displacement of civilians, the growing crisis of missing persons, and the threats facing those working to protect communities and document violations.

Yet this edition is not only a record of violations. It is also a testament to courage, resilience and the determination of Sudanese civil society to continue serving communities and defending fundamental rights despite extraordinary challenges.

September brought important international recognition of Sudanese civic action, including international honours for the Emergency Response Rooms and local responders, as well as the admission of Sudanese PEN as a member of PEN International. These milestones remind us that, even amid war, Sudanese communities continue to organise, respond, document, create and defend the values of dignity and freedom.

Sudan Defenders also continued to carry Sudanese voices to international forums. Through advocacy engagements in Geneva and The Hague, we contributed to discussions on accountability, victims’ rights, the protection of civilians and human rights defenders, missing persons, documentation and preservation of evidence, transitional justice and reparations. Our message remains clear: there can be no sustainable peace without justice, no meaningful accountability without truth, and no lasting protection without placing victims and affected communities at the centre.

This newsletter therefore represents more than a monthly account of events. It is part of our continuing commitment to preserve the truth, strengthen independent human rights documentation, amplify the voices of victims and defenders, and ensure that violations committed during this war are neither forgotten nor allowed to disappear from public memory.

I invite you to read this edition, reflect on the stories and developments it documents, and share it widely within your networks. By sharing this newsletter with colleagues, institutions, policymakers, human rights organisations, researchers, journalists and others concerned with Sudan, you help ensure that the experiences of victims and the voices of Sudanese human rights defenders continue to reach those who can act.

We further call upon the international community, regional and international institutions, partners and friends of Sudan to move from concern to meaningful action: protect civilians and human rights defenders, support independent documentation, strengthen accountability mechanisms, stand with victims and their families, and invest in Sudanese-led civic and humanitarian initiatives.

Silence must not become the response to continued violations. Read. Share. Advocate. Stand with Sudanese civil society and help keep the call for human rights, justice and accountability for Sudan alive.

Chairperson,

Board of Directors