PUBLICATIONS #sudan

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.

The African Center for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) condemns the violent arbitrary attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the affiliated Arab militias against Sudanese citizens particularly the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Darfur region. In this release, ACJPS has documented incidents in North, South, and West Darfur States where 11 IDPs including one ACJPS monitor were killed and 15 others were injured.

Even though several armed conflicts have concluded with peace settlements, it remains an uncommon method for resolving violent conflicts due to the persistence of fundamental causes, making them prone to re-ignite. 1 For instance, the post-Cold War period, particularly between 1989 and 1999, saw over 110 armed conflicts, 75 of which had concluded by 1999 2 . The termination of conflicts varies, ending in victory, continuing at a low level, returning after some time, or concluding in a peace agreement. Notably, only 21 of the conflicts during the post-Cold War era ended in negotiated peace agreements, 22 in victories, and 32 became dormant conflicts.

During the period between 15 April to 30 October 2023, the African Center for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) documented a series of human rights violations particularly targeting the Al-hasahisa and Khamisa Dagig IDP camps located in Zalingei town in Central Darfur. During the reporting period, at least 70 people including children lost their lives, and 116 sustained injuries. There were also incidents of arbitrary arrest. ACJPS has also documented the names of victims and testimonies. It is however notable that most of the victims sustained injuries to their upper body parties such as the stomach, head, and chest areas to which they succumbed.