PUBLICATIONS #enforced disappearance

Following the outbreak of war on April 15, 2023, between SAF and RSF, reports from national organizations and international bodies have documented a rise in violations, including kidnapping, detention, and disappearance of individuals.

The act of enforced disappearance, a crime against human dignity and a grave violation of human rights, has become a pressing concern in Sudan amidst the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). This crisis, which erupted in April 2023, has led to numerous reported cases of enforced disappearances, highlighting the urgent need for international intervention and adherence to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) has compiled the following legal terms and definitions to aid in legal education and raise awareness among victims of enforced disappearance and their families, as well as human rights activists working in this field, particularly in Sudan. These definitions serve as a foundational understanding for those navigating the complex legal landscape surrounding cases of missing and forcibly disappeared persons.

This report was compiled by observers affiliated with the Sudanese Group for Victims of Enforced Disappearance, drawing data from credible sources. Whereas observers established direct communication with certain victims' families and conducted interviews with survivors of enforced disappearance. The report encompasses the period from April 15, 2023, to April 15, 2024, marking a full year since the onset of the Sudan War. It extends its coverage to multiple states where instances of enforced disappearance were reported, indicating an expanded scope of observation. Furthermore, the report also tracked cases involving individuals with mental disorders who were forcibly disappeared, totalling 11 persons.

The African Center for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) has received reliable information indicating that 47 detainees held by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) were released while others escaped. The released detainees include 16 females. Some of the victims testified to ACJPS that they had been subjected to torture while in detention as they were beaten with water pipes and sticks, forced to stand under the sun for many hours, verbally abused, threatened to be sexually abused, held in poor detention facilities without ventilation and toilets, denied meals among other forms of torture and ill-treatment.