PUBLICATIONS #sudan war

ACJPS is deeply concerned about the escalation of hostilities, combined with large-scale population displacement, and poor humanitarian access which has resulted in the death of several Sudanese citizens. ACJPS has documented incidents where 20 people including children have succumbed to malnutrition and untreated chronic illnesses in Kalma camp in South Darfur.

The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) writes ahead of your first session on the Sudan situation in 2024 to urge you to reiterate your calls to the warring parties of the Sudan armed conflict to cease hostilities, protect civilians, and allow safe access for displaced people inside Sudan to humanitarian Services.

ACJPS condemns the continued targeting of human rights defenders for their work in Sudan. ACJPS has documented several incidents where seven (07) human rights defenders/activists were arbitrarily arrested detained and allegedly tortured by the SAF Military Intelligence (MI) Unit in Blue Nile region. We urge the Sudanese Army to desist from the repression of human rights defenders and allow them to exercise their rights to freedom of expression and association as guaranteed under Sudan's Constitution and international treaties ratified by Sudan.

Our organisations continue to express deep concerns about gross human rights violations that are being perpetrated against civilians in Sudan by the Sudanese Armed Forces, Paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and armed militia groups.

We, the undersigned Sudanese civil society organizations, call for the ACHPR to support to adopt a resolution on Sudan setting up an international commission of inquiry into all violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws and related crimes committed in Sudan since 15 April 2023.

The outbreak of the war in April 2023 in Sudan, has led to large waves of refugees and the displacement of nearly 3 million people and a worrying increase in violations. These violations include aerial bombardment of civilians, public and private facilities, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and rape. The ongoing war and the history of both warring parties have made these violations disturbingly prominent. Military headquarters of the warring parties in the center of cities have facilitated raids on houses and attacks on civilians. New types of violations have also emerged, including the abduction of women and girls and forcible transfer to other states, with brutal torture and the potential for developing into sexual slavery and trafficking. Eyewitness testimonies indicate that these violations were committed by individuals wearing RSF’s uniforms

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.

The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) expresses deep concern over the increasing trend of sexual violence during the ongoing armed conflict in Sudan. Survivors have identified armed actors as perpetrators including the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Arab militia, and Sudanese Alliance Forces. Scores of women and girls have been subjected to sexual violence including rape. Some have been held for several days in conditions of sexual slavery. In this release, ACJPS has documented an incident where seven university girls were abducted by the Sudanese Alliance Forces and sexually violated for 14 days.

The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) has documented an incident on 19 November 2023, where the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) engaged in a gunfight at the SAF base in Eldien town also known as Division 20 injuring 68 people.

The African Center for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) expresses deep concern over the surge in the recruitment of child soldiers in the Darfur region, specifically in Central Darfur since the outbreak of the armed conflict in April 2023. ACJPS is reliably informed that the recruitment, mainly by the Paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) follows the same methodology used by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in the remobilization of the Popular Defense Forces (PDF) in Darfur following its calls to join them. The recruitment of child soldiers to join the RSF is facilitated by the native administration members who are either in the PDF or are RSF officers.

The fight between the Sudanese Army (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in South Darfur has intensified with trends similar to those in Khartoum where SAF uses the tactic of shelling in areas around their base without actually leaving the base. This is done on suspicion that RSF occupied residences of civilians neighboring the SAF base with the intension to attack

ACJPS has documented 51 incidents of sexual violence against women and girls in Zalingi and Garsilla localities in Central Darfur. The victims/survivors identified men dressed in the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) uniforms, allied Arab militias and in some cases men in Sudanese Armed Forces’ (SAF) uniform as the perpetuators.