“Human Rights in Sudan”, statement presented by the ADH at the 55th session of the Human Rights Council (UN-Geneva)

Statement presented by the ADH, non-governmental organization in special consultative status with ECOSOC, at the 55th session of the Human Rights Council.

The Sudanese war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and other armed groups has plunged the country into one of the worst humanitarian nightmares in recent history.

It is regrettable that the unrest erupted just as Sudan appeared to be returning to democratic transition after three decades of military rule.

In a country of 45 million inhabitants where hunger affects more than a third of the population, residents, reeling from the new crisis, are now living in fear of an attack on their home or family.

Since the start of the conflict, more than 9,000 people have been killed, more than 5.6 million have been driven from their homes and 25 million people are in need of assistance. In this war, civilians – particularly in Khartoum, Darfur and Kordofan – are continually subjected to rape and sexual violence. The ADH also obtained shocking documents on the massacre of innocent people by paramilitaries.

The conflict has also prevented 19 million children from going to school, significantly compromising their education and the future of this country.

The health situation in Sudan is also disastrous, more than 70% of health establishments in conflict zones are out of service and cholera is already raging in the country, with many suspected cases.

Refugees and returnees arrive in remote border areas where services and infrastructure are scarce or non-existent, and where the host population is already suffering from several factors, such as climate change, food shortage; the problems which complicated the humanitarian response which had already become difficult and costly.

The ADH calls on the parties to the conflict to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law.

The ADH wants the Human Rights Council to play a more serious role in attracting the support of the international community to resolve the Sudanese crisis.

The ADH calls on the Human Rights Council to open an investigation into the rights of Sudanese women who are continually victims of rape and sexual violence.

A/HRC/55/NGO/211
Human Rights Council
Fifty-fifth session
26 February–5 April 2024
Agenda item 2
Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General