Overview of the Crisis
Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a brutal civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Over two years later, the country is facing one of the gravest human rights and humanitarian crises of our time. Tens of thousands have been killed, nearly 13 million displaced, and around 30 million people—half the population—are in urgent need of aid sudan-watch.net+6apnews.com+6theguardian.com+6.
Attacks on Civilians & Infrastructure
- Healthcare attacks: MSF and Save the Children report that 70% of hospitals are non-functional, with at least 933 hospital-related deaths in just the first half of 2025—a 60-fold increase from the previous year apnews.com.
- Market and camp massacres: The RSF allegedly shelled a market in Omdurman on February 1, killing 56 civilians and wounding 158 en.wikipedia.org+2en.wikipedia.org+2en.wikipedia.org+2. In April, RSF militants assaulted Zamzam and Abu Shouk displacement camps, killing over 100 civilians, including aid workers sudan-watch.net+6washingtonpost.com+6en.wikipedia.org+6.
Sexual Violence & Torture
- Widespread rape: UN investigations and Human Rights Watch document systematic sexual violence by both SAF and RSF, including gang-rapes, child rape, and using rape as a weapon of war—children as young as one year old have been victims en.wikipedia.org+1reddit.com+1.
- Detentions & torture: Thousands, including minors, are held in inhumane conditions, routinely tortured and disappearing without due process .
Famine, Disease & Displacement
- Famine risk: Famine conditions have been confirmed in multiple locations, with 25 million facing acute food insecurity and over 600,000 at risk of starvation by early 2025 unicef.org+9apnews.com+9en.wikipedia.org+9.
- Disease outbreaks: Collapsed healthcare has triggered cholera, measles, and malaria outbreaks—UN reports cite hundreds of cholera deaths in early 2025 alone apnews.com.
- Refugee crisis: Over 11 million internally displaced, with 4+ million refugees in neighboring countries suffering hunger and lack of protection ungeneva.org.
Legal Accountability & Impunity
The UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights warns of a “dangerous tipping point” where widespread impunity persists. The report calls for ICC jurisdiction across all Sudan and an expanded arms embargo sudan.un.org+2ungeneva.org+2globalissues.org+2. With both parties accused of war crimes—attacks on civilians, sexual violence, and arbitrary detention—no one has been held to account .
What Needs to Happen—A Call to Action
| Priority | Urgent Actions |
|---|---|
| 1. Humanitarian Access | Enforce ceasefires, protect healthcare, aid workers, and displacement camps. |
| 2. Condemn & Investigate | Document atrocities, ensure independent probes, hold perpetrators accountable via ICC/judicial systems. |
| 3. Fund Humanitarian Relief | Mobilize international financial support to avert famine and disease, and bolster women’s health and GBV interventions. |
| 4. Disarm & Demobilize | Enforce arms embargoes, halt foreign weapon flows, and initiate disarmament. |
| 5. Civil Protections | Safeguard journalists, human rights defenders, and civic space—investigate disappearances and unlawful detentions. |
Why This Matters
Sudan’s crisis transcends national borders—it’s a moral imperative. As a human rights community, we must amplify voices of survivors, urge our governments to act—and support collective calls for justice and humanitarian action. With each passing day, the window to prevent genocide, famine, and mass atrocities closes.
Solidarity in Action
The Sudan Human Rights Association stands with all victims—civilians, displaced families, women and children—and reaffirms its commitment to documenting abuses, advocating for justice, and supporting survivors. We call on the global community, donors, and Sudanese authorities to commit to tangible, rights-based interventions now—before it’s too late.
