‘We live under miserable conditions and lack all basic needs.’
– A resident of Al Thora Mobe village, which has been under RSF control since December 2023
It has been 20 months and counting since a conflict broke out between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) in April 2023, described by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights as ‘marked by an insidious disregard for human life.’
The grim toll of the violence so far is at least 14,600 dead and 26,000 injured, with civilians trapped between the warring sides and bearing the brunt of the casualties. One study estimates that the true death toll could be as high as 61,000.
Those who were not well-connected or wealthy enough to flee the country, and who live in the half of Sudan that is now under the control of the RSF, find themselves at the mercy of a paramilitary force that stands accused of the gravest of international crimes, including the killing of civilians, attacks on hospitals, and a relentless campaign of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV).
If these individuals are Christians, they will be pressured to convert to Islam – as has been occurring on a widespread and systematic basis since the conflict began.
If they are originally from the north of the country, they will be suspected of being affiliated with the SAF, and subjected to torture if found to have any relatives working with the SAF.
Discussion and arguments are typically resolved by execution, and if there is any doubt as to an individual’s background or affiliation they will be detained in inhumane conditions indefinitely.
Most have no choice but to stay. Anyone who is caught trying to leave will be arrested and accused of supporting the SAF, while those that do manage to escape will likely face similar challenges in areas under SAF control.
Much like the RSF, the SAF views anyone who comes from an area controlled by their opponents as a potential collaborator, especially if they belong to Arab tribes in Darfur. Those who flee or who originate from RSF-controlled areas are certain to be detained, and if found ‘guilty’ of RSF affiliation they will face a lengthy prison sentence or even the death penalty.
Confessions are extracted under torture, and CSW has confirmed at least one case of an individual being tortured to death over five days due to their suspected affiliation with the RSF. It is likely that there are many more.
In October, 26 men were detained in the SAF-controlled city of Shendi after they and their families had fled intensifying clashes in Al Ezba in Khartoum North. All were accused of being affiliated with the RSF, and were physically assaulted in front of their families before being taken into detention by the Almudada Unit of the SAF’s military intelligence, which is notorious for its use of torture and other forms of violence on detainees.
All of these men – the majority of whom are members of the Sudanese Church of Christ (SCOC)1 – were eventually released; however, some have been officially charged with RSF affiliation and are currently on bail, while several others were told to leave the area before the SAF opens another case against them.
This case illustrates how the people of Sudan are trapped between two paranoid and barbaric military forces who show no regard for human life, and who are willing to torture and execute civilians based on their ethnic or religious background, or simply on where they live or have lived in the country.
Both armed forces have been accused by a UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity since the conflict broke out, and between them they have ensured that nowhere in Sudan is safe.
With 25.6 million people in the country currently also facing acute hunger, the international community must increase its efforts to bring an end to this severe human rights and humanitarian crisis, and not be derailed by states like Russia, which benefits directly from selling weapons to both parties to conflict and has impeded UN resolutions on a ceasefire and other efforts to protect civilians.
The extension of the mandate of the FFM by the UN Human Rights Council in September was a positive step, but the mission must be supported to carry out detailed investigations into areas where such war crimes and crimes against humanity – such as in the targeting of individuals or groups due to religion, belief or ethnic background – may be occurring. There should also be coordination with regional bodies such as the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights.
The FFM has recommended that the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) be extended beyond Darfur to the entire country. For the people of Sudan, who have endured so much, this is essential, alongside an end to the violence that has them in an impossible bind.
By CSW’s Public Affairs Officer Ellis Heasley
Featured Image shows the Sheikh Qarib Allah mosque in Omdurman, which was bombed an Islamist militia affiliated with the SAF in March 2024. Credit: Facebook/Al-Fateh Hassan El-Sheikh
- The SCOC is a predominantly Nuba denomination which has experienced both religious and ethnic discrimination. ↩︎