Six African and international NGOs, backed by four Sudanese and international coalitions representing more than 35 groups, have accused General al-Burhan’s army (SAF) and allied militias of committing serious violations against civilians across the country.
The allegations were presented in 19 statements during the UN Human Rights Council’s 60th session in Geneva (Sept 8–Oct 8). The groups said the submissions, posted on the Council’s website and circulated to member states, aim to spur urgent action to halt abuses and hold perpetrators accountable.
The six NGOs, which hold special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council, include the International African Culture Organization; Victorious Youth Movement; One Child One Bag Association (Burkina Faso); African Unity Association; African Coordinating Organization for Human Rights for Armies; and Zero Poverty in Africa. Their statements were endorsed by four coalitions: the New Sudan Organizations Union, Sudanese Human Rights Organizations Coalition, Future Youth Coalition, and the Euro-Mediterranean Coalition Against Impunity.
Citing field reports and witness testimony, including from doctors, the submissions describe conduct they say amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity. They allege use of internationally prohibited chemical agents; reports of mass choking and poisoning in Nyala, El-Fasher and Zalingei; and deployment of toxic, incendiary and cluster munitions causing severe burns and acute respiratory injuries—acts they say violate the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Geneva Conventions.
The groups also accuse the SAF and allied forces of indiscriminate shelling and deliberate destruction of infrastructure, including hospitals, schools and UN facilities—among them UNICEF offices in El Obeid and World Food Programme warehouses in Gezira—resulting in aid worker deaths and suspended relief operations. The statements further cite summary executions, widespread torture, and bombardment of residential areas and camps.
Sexual violence, including gang rape, sexual slavery and forced marriage, is described as a weapon of war against women and girls in Darfur, Kordofan and Omdurman. The submissions also allege ethnically targeted killings in Darfur—against communities such as the Fur, Zaghawa and Masalit—accompanied by racist hate speech, which the groups say constitute crimes against humanity.
Additional claims include forced child recruitment; the destruction or militarization of hundreds of schools; collapse of health services after attacks on hospitals; arbitrary arrests, abductions and enforced disappearances of activists, journalists and lawyers; and assaults on humanitarian organizations, including facilities of the ICRC, the Sudanese Red Crescent, Médecins Sans Frontières, UNICEF and WFP.
The groups say these actions have contributed to mass displacement exceeding 10 million people—mostly women and children—amid sieges and aid blockages that they warn are driving famine conditions. They argue impunity inside Sudan, including the promotion of officers accused of abuses and the use of courts to suppress dissent, is deepening the crisis and undermining prospects for peace and development.
They call for an independent international investigative mechanism; referral of the situation to the International Criminal Court; targeted sanctions on responsible leaders; secure humanitarian corridors; international protection for civilians; support for transitional justice; an inclusive political transition to civilian rule; and stronger protection of human rights defenders. The statements urge the Human Rights Council to act decisively, warning that silence amounts to complicity.
