Geneva – Human Rights Council, 30 September 2025
During 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/289) stressing that the continued dominance of the Sudanese
Armed Forces over state power constitutes a flagrant violation of the right to civilian rule and
fuels an unprecedented humanitarian tragedy. The statement warned that no peace or stability
can be achieved in Sudan unless there is a comprehensive transition to democratic civilian
authority.
The statement highlighted that the October 2021 military coup, followed by the outbreak of
war in April 2023, dismantled the civilian institutions established after the December 2018
revolution, suspended the constitutional document, and created a dangerous political vacuum.
This vacuum has been exploited by the military and its allied militias to impose de facto
authority by force. As a result, the Sudanese people have been excluded from meaningful
political participation, while peaceful demonstrators have been met with brutal repression that
left hundreds killed or injured, in addition to arbitrary arrests targeting journalists, political
activists, and trade unionists.
The coalition emphasized that the military’s authority does not represent the will of the
Sudanese people, but rather enforces policies of exclusion, ethnic and regional division.
These practices have deepened social fragmentation, exacerbated injustice, fueled corruption,
and led to economic collapse, particularly in Darfur, Kordofan, Blue Nile, and Eastern Sudan.
The statement further underlined that such actions directly violate the International Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights, particularly Article 25, which guarantees citizens the right to
participate in public affairs through freely chosen representatives.
The statement also underscored the responsibility of the international community—especially
the Human Rights Council—to uphold the Sudanese people’s right to civilian governance. It
called for an immediate end to any political, financial, or technical support for the illegitimate
military authority in Port Sudan and demanded that international aid be strictly tied to
concrete steps toward respecting human rights and rebuilding civilian institutions.
Furthermore, it urged the expansion of UN investigations to hold perpetrators of crimes and
violations accountable, while rejecting any form of international legitimacy for the current
military regime.
In conclusion, the coalition recommended that strong political and diplomatic pressure be
applied to compel the military to relinquish power, and to ensure inclusive participation of civil forces including women and youth—in any upcoming negotiation process. It stressed
that the continued delay of the civilian transition amounts to implicit complicity in the
atrocities and violations that are tearing Sudan apart and deepening its humanitarian
catastrophe.