Geneva / September 2025
During the 60th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Federation of
Sudanese Human Rights Centers, the Union of Sudanese Human Rights Organizations, and the
“Save the Civilians in Sudan” Alliance issued an international statement during the interactive
dialogue held in the wake of the presentation of the report of the International Fact-Finding
Mission.
The statement expressed grave concern over the Sudanese army and allied militias’ systematic
use of racial discrimination as a weapon of war. It noted that this policy was behind a series of
atrocities committed in Wad Madani, Al-Jazira State, and Darfur, making it one of the gravest
human rights disasters of the contemporary era.
Deliberate Targeting of Specific Communities
The statement highlighted that since the Sudanese army seized control of Wad Madani in
December 2023, widespread violations have been documented, deliberately targeting civilians
from Darfur, the Nuba Mountains, and Blue Nile.
The coalition confirmed that these violations included arbitrary arrests, denial of humanitarian
aid, restrictions on freedom of movement, and incitement and hate speech disseminated
through army-aligned media. It stressed that these practices were not random acts but rather
part of a systematic policy aimed at humiliating and excluding specific communities from the
national fabric.
A Repeated Pattern of Ethnic Cleansing
The statement further noted that events in Al-Jazira State reflected a recurring pattern of ethnic
cleansing seen in Darfur, particularly in El Geneina, Zalingei, and Kutum. These violations
included massacres, rape, and starvation targeting specific ethnic groups.
According to the organizations, the Sudanese army, whether through its direct actions or
complicity, was entrenching an exclusionary reality that threatens Sudan’s unity and
undermines prospects for peace and reconciliation.
Clear Violations of International Law
The statement stressed that these practices constitute blatant violations of international
conventions such as the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial
Discrimination, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and international
humanitarian law. They also contravene Sudan’s own constitution, which enshrines equality
and dignity for all citizens without discrimination.
Calls for Accountability and Action
The organizations called on the Human Rights Council to explicitly condemn these practices
and to ensure their inclusion within the mandate of the International Fact-Finding Mission on
Sudan.
They also urged the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to document these
violations in its official reports and called on the Committee on the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination (CERD) to activate its early warning mechanisms and adopt urgent measures.
The statement further pressed the international community to impose targeted sanctions on
those responsible for these crimes and to support Sudanese civil society organizations working
to document violations and protect survivors and witnesses.
Discrimination as a Weapon of War
The statement emphasized that racial discrimination in Sudan is no longer merely a social or
political legacy but has become an oppressive tool used by the military leadership in Port Sudan
to control cities and suppress civilians.
The organizations warned that international silence in the face of these practices amounts to
complicity, stressing that the Human Rights Council bears both a moral and legal responsibility
to act urgently to ensure justice for victims.
An Escalating Humanitarian Tragedy
The statement concluded by affirming that the growing number of victims and displaced
persons makes the Sudanese crisis one of the greatest humanitarian tragedies in modern history.
It warned that the absence of accountability will prolong the conflict and embolden perpetrators
to continue their crimes. “The time has come to turn words into action,” the organizations
declared, “before racial discrimination and war leave an irreversible mark on Sudan’s future.”
