As the conflict in Sudan approaches its fourth year, serious and widespread violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law continue with increasing intensity and impunity, committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), with violence reaching deeply alarming levels across the country.
Since the outbreak of hostilities in mid-April 2023, tens of thousands of civilians and persons hors de combat are believed to have been killed across Sudan, in a conflict marked by systematic brutality and a flagrant disregard for the most basic norms of international law.
Investigations by the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan and the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) - African Union (AU) Fact-Finding Mission on the Human Rights Situation in the Sudan have concluded that the SAF and RSF, as well as their allies, are responsible for grave violations of international humanitarian law and human rights of varying intensity, including killings, arbitrary detention, torture, and the widespread use of indiscriminate attacks, including airstrikes, shelling, and drone attacks in populated areas. Civilian objects indispensable to survival, including medical facilities and food markets, have been targeted, exacerbating an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
Efforts to deliver basic humanitarian assistance have been repeatedly hindered, including through attacks on humanitarian convoys. Essential service providers, including humanitarian workers, medical personnel, and human rights defenders, have been killed, injured, detained or remain missing. Revenge attacks continue with both parties targeting individuals perceived to be affiliated with or supporting the opposing side.
Violations committed by the RSF have been particularly widespread and systematic, reflecting an organized and recurrent modus operandi, including looting, sexual violence and ethnic targeting, devastating lives and shattering communities.
Grave violations have been documented across multiple regions, including Khartoum, Darfur, Gezira and Kordofan, and are spreading further to other parts of the country including the Blue Nile, the White Nile and the Nuba regions.
The UN Fact-Finding Mission considered that international crimes have been committed in Sudan. It found that both parties to the conflict committed war crimes through acts of killings, arbitrary detention, torture and indiscriminate attacks. It also found that the RSF committed other war crimes, such as starvation as well as crimes against humanity of widespread rape and sexual violence, persecution and extermination through the deprivation of food, medicine and humanitarian assistance. With regard to the taking over of El Fasher in October 2025, the UN Fact-Finding Mission established an egregious pattern of identity-based targeting by the RSF against members of the Zaghawa and Fur communities, in a pattern that bears the hallmarks of genocide.
The ACHPR Joint Fact-Finding Mission found that these grave violations amounted to violations of the Right to Life, the Right to Human Dignity, Liberty and Security of Person, Fundamental Freedoms, Freedom of Movement, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Violations against Children, Violations of collective rights of peoples including the rights of all peoples to equality, to existence, to peace and security and development, Targeting of Vulnerable Groups, and Conflict Related Sexual Violence.
The conflict has resulted in one of the largest displacement crises globally. As of early March 2026, more than 8.6 million people were internally displaced and over 4 million had fled as refugees. Women, children, older persons and other vulnerable groups continue to bear the overwhelming and disproportionate burden of this conflict.
The continued disregard by both parties to the conflict for international human rights law and international humanitarian law, including their obligations to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, demands urgent, coordinated and decisive measures. All parties must ensure rapid, safe, and unimpeded humanitarian access, in accordance with international humanitarian law, and refrain from any attacks on or obstruction of humanitarian personnel and assets.
Accountability for atrocity crimes committed across Sudan is critical to preventing further violations. Without holding the perpetrators to account, impunity - a central driver of this conflict - will continue to persist and will undermine prospects for durable peace in Sudan and the wider region. As this destructive conflict enters its fourth year, the Missions reiterate their calls on all parties to the conflict, AU and UN Member States, and regional and international bodies to:
- Prioritise efforts to secure a comprehensive and sustainable ceasefire.
- Ensure full compliance by the RSF and SAF with international humanitarian and international human rights law including, the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights -, particularly guaranteeing the safe passage for those fleeing areas of active hostilities, ensuring unimpeded humanitarian access to all affected communities, protecting humanitarian and emergency workers and immediately ceasing attacks on civilians, such as killings, sexual violence, torture, arbitrary detention and looting.
- Ensure compliance by all states and businesses with the Darfur arms embargo under Security Council Resolution 1556 (2004) while enforcing existing UN and AU sanctions.
- Support the International Criminal Court's efforts in Sudan and fully cooperate with it.
- Establish a complementary independent judicial mechanism, to prosecute international crimes committed in Sudan, in coordination with existing international justice efforts.
- Grant the UN Fact-Finding and ACHPR Missions access to all areas of Sudan to conduct independent investigations.
On this anniversary, the Fact-Finding Missions reaffirm their commitment to documenting violations, amplifying the voices of victims and survivors, and contributing to efforts aimed at ensuring accountability, protection of civilians, and the restoration of peace, justice, and dignity for the people of Sudan.
Background:
The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan was established by the UN Human Rights Council in October 2023 through resolution A/HRC/RES/54/2. Its mandate was last extended for an additional year in October 2025 with resolution A/HRC/RES/60/3. The Fact-Finding Mission's key task is "to investigate and establish the facts, circumstances and root causes of all alleged human rights violations and abuses and violations of international humanitarian law, including those committed against refugees, and related crimes in the context of the ongoing armed conflict that began on 15 April 2023, between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, as well as other warring parties."
