Geneva – Human Rights Council, 30 September 2025
As part of the 60th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Sudanese
Human Rights Organizations Coalition and its international allies submitted a written
statement (A/HRC/60/NGO/87) warning of the grave and systematic violations being
perpetrated by the Sudanese Armed Forces against civilians. The statement stressed that these
crimes constitute a direct breach of the 1993 Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action,
which affirmed the universality and indivisibility of human rights and the obligation to
protect them even in times of armed conflict.
The statement highlighted that the Sudanese army and allied militias have carried out a series
of violations amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity. These include
indiscriminate bombardments of towns and villages, the use of internationally prohibited
weapons such as cluster munitions and chemical agents in Darfur, Kordofan, and Al-Jazira, in
addition to arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances of hundreds of civilians and
activists—many of whom have been subjected to torture and inhumane treatment. The
statement also documented widespread sexual violence against women and girls, used
systematically as a weapon of war to terrorize communities. It further pointed to the
imposition of suffocating sieges on residential areas and the deliberate denial of humanitarian
aid, which has triggered famine and outbreaks of deadly diseases.
The coalition underscored that these violations extend beyond civil and political rights,
devastating healthcare and education systems while deepening poverty and food insecurity
that now threaten the lives of more than 30 million people, half of whom are women and
children. It also condemned the army’s policy of media blackout, suppressing civil society
and independent journalism to conceal evidence and obstruct international accountability
mechanisms.
In conclusion, the Sudanese Human Rights Organizations Coalition and its international allies
urged the Human Rights Council to publicly condemn these crimes, establish an independent
international mechanism for investigation and documentation, and support the International
Criminal Court in prosecuting those responsible—particularly at the military and leadership
levels. The coalition also called for immediate protection and assistance for victims and for
Sudan to be placed under special monitoring by the Council until it demonstrates compliance
with international obligations and accountability measures.
The coalition stressed that the Sudanese army’s ongoing crimes represent a direct challenge
to the Vienna Declaration and to the values of international justice. It called on the
international community to act urgently to end the humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan and to
guarantee the Sudanese people their fundamental rights and human dignity.