Geneva – Human Rights Council, 30 September 2025
On the sidelines of the 60th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, the Sudanese
Human Rights Organizations Coalition convened a high-level side event to present its
extensive report entitled “Documenting War Crimes by the Sudanese Army in Wad
Madani.” The report provides detailed evidence of horrific violations and grave crimes
committed by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and allied militias against civilians in the
city of Wad Madani, including indiscriminate bombardments, mass arbitrary arrests, and
summary executions.
According to the report, since December 2024 Wad Madani has been turned into a stage for
systematic atrocities, where densely populated residential areas were subjected to relentless
aerial and artillery bombardments. These attacks resulted in the killing of more than 850
civilians, including women and children, and left hundreds more seriously injured.
Testimonies also document at least 120 civilians executed extrajudicially after being
rounded up during mass raids.
The report highlights widespread arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances, with
hundreds of young people, activists, and journalists detained. The fate of many remains
unknown, pointing to a deliberate campaign of intimidation and silencing of dissent.
It further documents the targeting of civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, relief
centers, and key markets, depriving thousands of people of healthcare, food, and essential
services. As a result, more than 200,000 civilians were forcibly displaced from Wad
Madani, forced to flee in dire humanitarian conditions.
The report also underscores shocking evidence of sexual violence against women and girls,
including cases of mass rape and sexual assault used as a weapon of war to terrorize
communities. These acts constitute crimes against humanity under international law.
The coalition stressed that these atrocities are not isolated incidents but rather part of a
deliberate military strategy led by the Sudanese Armed Forces to subjugate the civilian
population and dismantle the social fabric of the region. The findings clearly demonstrate that the SAF’s actions amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity in flagrant violation
of international humanitarian law.
Concluding the event, the Sudanese Human Rights Organizations Coalition urged the Human
Rights Council and the international community to:
Launch an independent international investigation into SAF crimes in Wad
Madani.
Refer the situation to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prosecute
military leaders, including senior command.
Impose targeted international sanctions on perpetrators of atrocities.
Guarantee unhindered humanitarian access and provide immediate protection for
civilians and displaced populations.
Participants emphasized that the Wad Madani report constitutes a damning body of
evidence exposing the scale of atrocities, and serves as a clear message to the international
community that impunity is no longer acceptable. Protecting Sudanese civilians requires
urgent and decisive international action, with justice and accountability placed at the
forefront of global responses.