04/11/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/11/2024 07:53
One year on from the start of the conflict in Sudan on 15 April 2023, and as the Foreign Affairs Council meets on Sudan on 22 April 2024, Amnesty International and 10 other NGOs call on the European Union (EU) and its member states to take urgent, strategic and concrete steps to respond to the massive cost on civilians of the dramatic human rights and humanitarian crisis in the country and prevent further violations.
Dear High Representative Borrell,
Dear EU Foreign Ministers,
One year on from the start of the conflict in Sudan on 15 April 2023, and as the Foreign Affairs Council meets on Sudan on 22 April 2024, our organizations call on the European Union and its member states to take urgent, strategic and concrete steps to respond to the massive cost on civilians of the dramatic human rights and humanitarian crisis in the country and prevent further violations.
Since fighting broke out in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, both the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have repeatedly used heavy explosive weapons in densely populated areas of the capital and conducted indiscriminate attacks, resulting in numerous civilian casualties and the destruction of critical civilian infrastructure including schools, hospitals, mosques and churches. Aid workers and humanitarian convoys have also been targeted by parties to the conflict.
From late April 2023, West Darfur state has been the site of some of the worst attacks on civilians and serious violations of international humanitarian law, some amounting to war crimes. Large-scale attacks by RSF forces and allied forces primarily targeting the ethnic Massalit population took place in multiple towns in the region.
The fighting and attacks on civilians have spread to other regions, including South Kordofan and Aj Jazirah State, prompting a dramatic deterioration of the humanitarian situation. United Nations (UN) experts, NGOs and civil society have raised concerns about the surge of sexual violence, primarily against women and children, including in Khartoum and Darfur. Survivors' access to urgent services was hampered by attacks on medical facilities and organizations providing care, exacerbated by deliberate obstruction of assistance and looting of aid by the warring parties. Sudan now has the highest rate of internal displacement in the world, with over 10.7 million people uprooted from their homes, including 9 million internally displaced, and over 20 million facing severe hunger, according to the UN.
In the midst of the conflict, human rights defenders (HRDs) and aid workers, including health care workers, have bravely continued their human rights and humanitarian work, including documenting and reporting on conflict-related human rights violations and violence and providing lifesaving assistance and services to affected and hard-to-reach populations. Human rights defenders have been targeted and subjected to kidnapping, detention, torture and sexual violence, with at least eight HRDs killed since the outbreak of this latest conflict. Many human rights defenders have experienced threats and intimidation and lost their work equipment such as computers in lootings, forcing them to flee Sudan. Humanitarian workers from both local and international NGOs have also suffered significant losses. As of 19 October 2023, 45 aid workers - mainly Sudanese - have been detained or killed, according to the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator.
In addition, the crucial work of independent media to inform the population is hampered as journalists are targeted and forced to flee. At the same time, the regular use of internet blackouts not only prevents communication at a personal and communal level, but also interferes with the ability of local and international humanitarian organizations to adequately respond to the growing humanitarian needs.
In July 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor announced that his office is probing recent atrocities in Sudan's Darfur region as part of its ongoing Darfur investigation, underscoring the gravity of current abuses. Despite the findings of its Panel of Experts on Sudan, the UN Security Council is still falling short of fulfilling its mandate to address and prevent future atrocities. A UN Fact Finding Mission established in October 2023 with support of EU members of the UN Human Rights Council faces continued operational delays and under-staffing, undermining its critical role in documenting human rights violations.
As civilians across Sudan continue to bear the brunt of the fighting and warring parties continue to disregard the rules of international humanitarian law, our organizations urge the EU and its member states to respond to this conflict with renewed urgency:
We thank you for your attention and remain available should you have any additional questions.
Yours sincerely,
Amnesty International
Brot für die Welt
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)
Christian Solidarity Worldwide
Finn Church Aid, Finland
Free Press Unlimited
Front Line Defenders
Human Rights Watch
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
International Service for Human Rights
Protection International