Geneva – Human Rights Council, 30 September 2025
During 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/90) exposing the systematic violations committed by the Sudanese Armed Forces against civilians. The statement emphasized that these widespread crimes have fueled one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes in the world, leading to the collapse of state institutions and threatening both regional and international peace and security.
The statement revealed that the Sudanese army has used indiscriminate aerial bombardment and starvation as weapons of war, deliberately targeting markets, hospitals, schools, and critical infrastructure. These attacks have caused the death of thousands and displaced more than 10 million civilians inside Sudan and across borders. The coalition also warned of a worsening famine, with more than 30 million people now facing acute food insecurity, half of whom are women and children.
Particular attention was given to the horrific violations against women and girls, including cases of mass rape and systematic sexual violence used as tools of intimidation to terrorize communities and weaken the social fabric. The statement further noted the continued recruitment of children into armed conflict, a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The coalition also condemned the Sudanese army’s reliance on mercenaries and extremist groups to tighten its grip on power, pointing to evidence of the use of internationally prohibited weapons, including chemical agents, against civilians in Darfur and Al-Jazira. Such acts constitute war crimes and gross violations of international treaties.
The statement further denounced the army’s severe restrictions on freedom of expression and the press, including the closure of newspapers, arbitrary arrests of journalists, and repeated nationwide internet shutdowns aimed at silencing the truth and concealing atrocities. These practices, it stressed, represent a direct assault on the right to information and perpetuate a culture of impunity.
In conclusion, the Sudanese Human Rights Organizations Coalition and its international allies called on the Human Rights Council and the international community to:
• Launch a fully independent and comprehensive international investigation into the violations committed.
• Refer those responsible to the International Criminal Court without delay.
• Impose targeted sanctions on army leaders involved in the crimes.
• Support urgent humanitarian relief efforts to protect civilian lives.
• Strengthen the role of Sudanese civil society as the first line of defense for human rights.
The coalition underlined that international silence only emboldens perpetrators and prolongs the suffering of millions. It stressed that the time has come for decisive and urgent international action to end the ongoing tragedy and restore hope for the Sudanese people facing death, famine, and forced displacement.