Human Rights Chief addresses the press in Port Sudan

I last came to Sudan in November 2022, when I was deeply inspired by the spirit, the energy and the dynamism of civil society, particularly the youth and women who led the 2018 revolution.

So much has changed since then. But to those who believe the spirit of the struggle for peace, justice and freedom has been broken through nearly three years of outrageous war on civilians, I have news for you.

That spirit is not broken.

Over the past four days, I have met Sudanese in Port Sudan, Dongola, Ad Dabba and Merowe.

I met with young people who are the critical first responders to the needs of their communities – organising and delivering aid, often in the face of massive bureaucratic hurdles, risking detention and violence. Their clarity of purpose came through – as one civil society leader told me: We don’t have the power to stop the war, but we will do what we can to keep civilians alive. Another young volunteer said: The price of war is being paid by young people. Sudanese young people are at the frontlines of this war, serving those who are in need of humanitarian aid.

I met with women-led legal aid and humanitarian organisations providing free professional assistance to women victims of violations and abuses linked to the war, again, at great risk to themselves.

I met with an engineer at the Merowe dam and hydroelectric power station – which has been hit multiple times by drones launched by the RSF, most recently just two weeks ago. The senseless attacks disrupted essential power to hospitals, interrupted irrigation for crops, and disrupted access to clean water, facilitating the spread of disease. Attacks on critical civilian infrastructure are serious violations that can amount to war crimes.

The RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces must cease intolerable attacks against civilian objects that are indispensable to the civilian population, including markets, health facilities, schools and shelters.

But I need to tell you what an engineer said to me. He said: “They didn’t stop the attacks and we will not stop our efforts to keep live the electricity in Sudan.” He was undeterred, defiant. Even when the latest attack directly hit the office where his team works.

And I have met with those who have been hardest hit by brutal violence and injustice in this war.

At the Al Afad site for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Ad Dabba, I met a four-year-old who lost his hearing due to bombardment and now doesn’t play well with other kids. A three-year-old who wouldn’t smile. I met Hawa, who was working towards her Masters Degree in Psychology when she had to flee El Fasher after losing her 19-year-old son due to shelling. En route, she recounted that she was looted, beaten, and her husband was abducted by the RSF and tortured in detention, demanding a ransom of 10 million Sudanese Pounds. So many provided testimony of detained, disappeared and missing family members and friends.

One woman saw her husband and only son killed. She is still bedridden from grief, trauma, and the bullet she took in her shoulder while trying – in vain – to shield her son.

The commanders of this conflict, and those who are arming, funding and profiting from this war, need to hear what 20-year-old Aisha, now in Al-Afad IDP site, told me. In her words:

On 20 October, we were fleeing from El Fasher on a donkey cart. It was the only transport we could afford. On the road to Garni village, there were lots of dead bodies. We saw armed men on camels who said « bring down the women ». My brother tried to stop them. They shot him in his legs. My mother started crying and said « leave my children, take me instead of her ». They hit her, took me and told me to keep quiet or they will kill my mother. Then what happened…happened. My period has not come since then.

Sexual violence is being used as a weapon of war. This is a war crime. And we have more and more indications that this is widespread and systematic.

I also heard accounts of widespread summary executions by RSF during the offensive on El Fasher – for revenge, for suspected affiliation with the SAF or its allied Joint Forces. And prior to the offensive, one man told me of people killed for trying to bring milk powder and flour into El Fasher, during the period when the RSF had the city under tight siege, imposing a man-made famine.

We must ensure that the perpetrators of these horrific violations face justice, regardless of their affiliation. My Office is working to document and report on these violations and abuses to pave the way for accountability.

The terrifying experiences of these survivors must provoke action to end this conflict, to prevent this from happening to another Aisha, another Hawa, and to make sure they can access what they need: medical care, psychosocial care, justice and support to pursue education and a livelihood.

I am very worried that the atrocity crimes committed during and after the takeover of El Fasher are at grave risk of repeating themselves in the Kordofan region, where the conflict has been rapidly escalating since late October. The Kordofan states are extremely volatile, with relentless military engagements, heavy shelling, drone bombardments and airstrikes causing widespread destruction and collapse of essential services.

Advances towards Kadugli by the RSF and SPLM-N and continued displacement of civilians from the besieged city – all in the context of extreme food insecurity, with famine conditions confirmed in Kadugli, and risk of famine in other areas including Dilling.

The proliferation of advanced military equipment, in particular unmanned aerial vehicles – or drones – across Sudan has enhanced the military capabilities of both the SAF and the RSF, prolonging hostilities and deepening the crisis for civilians.

It is despicable that large sums of money are being spent on procuring increasingly advanced weaponry – funds that should be used to alleviate the suffering of the population.

I am deeply alarmed by the increasing militarization of society by all parties to the conflict, including through the arming of civilians and recruitment and use of children.

In my meetings with more than 50 local and international organisations in Dongola and Port Sudan, I heard appeals directed to those waging this war and the international community to end this madness. And to allow NGOs, journalists, lawyers and humanitarian actors to do their essential work without undue restrictions and reprisals.

I was very concerned to hear that journalists are being subjected to restrictions that severely limit their ability to do their jobs, and are targeted by smear campaigns, disappearances and violence by both sides. The absence of free and independent media only perpetuates conflict and hate speech, which continues to have a pernicious impact, dehumanizing people and fueling brutal violations.

There needs to be an all-out effort to ensure that the work of journalists and broader civil society is facilitated and protected. It is time to get rid of harmful old habits and bureaucratic hurdles in the provision of humanitarian assistance.

It is through taking practical confidence-building measures that steps can be taken towards mediation and peace.

I call on all parties to the conflict to ensure the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, to guarantee safe passage for civilians to leave areas of active conflict – including Kadugli and Dilling – and for humanitarian aid to enter where it is needed.

Measures, such as accounting for missing persons and releasing civilians detained for alleged “collaboration” with the opposing party are also priority areas. Across the country, thousands of civilians have been detained on such accusations, impacting civil society actors, human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers and humanitarian volunteers.

I repeat my call from three years ago, when I last visited Sudan – I urge all those involved to set aside entrenched positions, power games, and personal interests, and to focus on the common interests of the Sudanese people.

Three years ago, I had also left Sudan with the plea that human rights have to be at the core of the transition. Sadly, they were not, and a brutal war upended the very real possibilities for the country to transition to democratic governance following a 30-year-old dictatorship.

Again, I leave with a plea that human rights be central to building confidence and bringing this war to an end, to resuming the difficult task of building a sustainable peace. It is difficult, but certainly not impossible, with the resilience and power of the Sudanese people.

My Office – and I – are committed to doing what we can to assist.