Geneva – Human Rights Council, 1 October 2025
As part of the 60th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Coalition of
Sudanese Human Rights Organizations and their international allies submitted a written
statement (A/HRC/60/NGO/86) shedding light on the catastrophic humanitarian situation in
Sudan. The statement stressed that the Sudanese Armed Forces have systematically used
starvation, forced displacement, and the obstruction of humanitarian aid as tools of war,
deliberately exacerbating the suffering of millions of civilians.
The statement emphasized that the Sudanese Army bears full responsibility for the worsening
humanitarian crisis, noting that indiscriminate aerial bombardments and blockades of entire
regions have deprived civilians of access to food, medicine, and clean water. Reports cited in
the statement confirm that more than 25 million people are now in need of urgent
humanitarian assistance, while over 12 million are internally displaced, living in dire
conditions without adequate shelter or basic services.
Particular attention was drawn to the army’s deliberate targeting of humanitarian aid
convoys, as well as the imposition of sieges on conflict-affected regions, which prevent relief
agencies from reaching vulnerable populations. These actions, the coalition warned,
constitute grave breaches of international humanitarian law and amount to war crimes under
the Rome Statute.
The written intervention also highlighted the disproportionate impact of these violations on
women and children, who face acute malnutrition, lack of medical care, and increased
exposure to violence during forced displacement. The coalition noted that the systematic
denial of humanitarian access is not an isolated incident but rather part of a broader military
strategy aimed at collective punishment of the civilian population.
In conclusion, the coalition urged the Human Rights Council to adopt urgent and decisive
measures to protect civilians in Sudan, including the establishment of an independent
international investigation into the use of starvation and humanitarian blockades by the
Sudanese Armed Forces. The statement further called for accountability through the
International Criminal Court and immediate international pressure to secure safe corridors for
humanitarian aid delivery, in order to safeguard the lives and dignity of the Sudanese people.