PUBLICATIONS #sudan

ACJPS expresses deep concern over the increased targeting of civilians in Kasala by General Intelligence Services (GIS) Officers. We want to echo the residents' voices and demand that the authorities in Kasala hold the perpetrators of these violations accountable and bring them to book. In this release, ACJPS documents several incidents of grave human rights violations commited by GIS officers against civilians in Kasala.

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.

Sudan is currently ravaged by war and human rights violations are happening on a large scale. In Darfur, the armed conflict took an ethnic turn between Arabs and non-Arabs. In this detailed report, ACJPS has documented yet another ethnically motivated attack in the Ardamata locality in West Darfur targeting the Massalite people. The attack launched by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied Arab militia led to the seizure of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) base in Ardmata, killing more than 800 people including SAF soldiers and Massalite people, injuring several others and thousands displaced to fairly safer states within Sudan and the neighboring Chad. Additionally, women and girls were reportedly subjected to sexual violence in the camp and while fleeing the area.

Sudan, a nation marked by a history of conflict, underscores the vital importance of achieving lasting peace. This narrative explores the multifaceted role of women in Sudan, emphasizing their potential as catalysts for positive change in building a sustainable and inclusive peace. With women constituting half of Sudan's population, their active participation is not just a matter of equality but a strategic imperative.

Looting has carried on for months and continues as law and order has broken down in Sudan, with none of the police stations operating across the country making it impossible for victims to report cases of stolen property. The warring parties are accused of perpetuating the violation of the economic rights of the Sudanese citizens. In this release, ACJPS has documented an incident where RSF and allied militia allegedly participated in the looting of 35 vehicles including those delivering humanitarian aid to Sudanese citizens in Aljazeera state.

Almost 8 months since the conflict in Sudan broke out, Sudanese civilians continue to face a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, mass atrocities, and a looming risk of genocide with no end in sight. Children, women and girls, are bearing the heaviest brunt of the war. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Sudan has the world's largest displacement rate; with more than 7 million people displaced inside and outside Sudan. According to UN OCHA, more than 12.190 people have been reported killed since the fighting broke out. The conflict and political dynamics have been shifting rapidly. The main two belligerent factions have continued escalating attacks in different strategic regions in Sudan to gain more territory and supremacy: including in Darfur, Kordofan and Khartoum. The conflict is becoming protracted and expanding to the borders of South Sudan. It is an overall situation of chaos and terrorizing civilians. Sudan is no longer solely an internal conflict as it has clear regional ramifications and therefore is a matter of regional stability and international peace and security. Various reports suggest that external powers are fueling the conflict in Sudan through supporting the belligerents, including allegations of supply of weapons.

وصف موجز للوضع الراهن في السودان تلامس الحرب في السودان إكتمال شهرها الثامن، في حين يبقى المدنيون السودانيون في مواجهة أزمة إنسانية كارثية، وفظائع جماعية، وخطر إبادة جماعية يلوح في الأفق دون نهاية منظورة. و ينصب عبء الحرب الأكبر على الأطفال والنساء والفتيات. وقد نزح أكثر من 7 ملايين شخص داخل السودان وخارجه وفقاً للمنظمة الدولية للهجرة، وبذلك يسجل السودان أكبر معدل نزوح في العالم. في وقت أفاد فيه مكتب الأمم المتحدة لتنسيق الشؤون الإنسانية، بإحصاء أكثر من 12.190 شخصا من اللذين فقدوا أرواحهم منذ إشتعال الحرب.

The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) welcomes a resolution of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) at its 1185th meeting, held at the Ministerial level on the Situation in Sudan establishing a high-level panel to deal with the ongoing armed conflict in Sudan.

The African Center for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) has continued to magnify the voices of Sudanese women by documenting incidents and testimonies of survivors of sexual violence during the ongoing armed conflict in Sudan with emphasis on rape and sexual slavery. The testimonies in this release indicate that rape is a systematic practice in areas of conflict by mainly the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and bandit groups that take advantage of the chaos. All names used in this release are pseudonyms to protect victims.

The presence and participation of child soldiers was first evidenced during a gunfight between SAF and RSF at the SAF base in Furbarnaqa in June 2023. They were then cited in Division 16 in Nyala. Since then, the participation of children in the conflict has escalated as several children have been cited in Division 15 in Zalingei in Central Darfur, Division 21in Ardamata in West Darfur, and Division 20 Eldein in East Darfur among other states.

As Sudan grapples with escalating conflict, various international bodies have initiated efforts to bring about peace. The African Union (AU), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Jeddah's Declaration of Commitment, and Egypt's Neighboring Countries Initiative are all striving to address the crisis. While these initiatives offer hope, their simultaneous emergence raises concerns about potential contradictions and the challenges of effective collaboration.

Sudan has been engulfed in civil war since fighting erupted on 15 April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The violence has worsened an already existing dire humanitarian situation in the nation. Before the conflict broke out, Sudan was already experiencing a humanitarian crisis with more than 15 million people facing severe food insecurity and more than 3.7 million internally displaced persons. Additionally, the country was also hosting 1.3 million refugees mostly from South Sudan.