Joint Statement by Syrian Civil-Society Organizations on the Crimes and Violations in Sudan

Paris – The undersigned Syrian organizations express their deep concern over recent human-rights and United Nations reports documenting widespread crimes against civilians in Sudan, particularly following the fall of El-Fasher to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). These reports describe ensuing massacres, forced displacement, sexual violence, and mass targeting based on ethnic identity — a dangerous escalation in the systematic violence that has plagued Sudan for more than two years.

Preliminary findings by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), and the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) indicate a campaign of grave abuses, including summary executions of civilians, home raids, and deliberate denial of food, medicine, and humanitarian aid — acts amounting to crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing.

In the absence of effective and independent mechanisms for investigation and accountability, the suffering of victims intensifies and impunity becomes entrenched, posing a direct threat to justice and stability in Sudan and the wider region.

Syrian civil-society organizations affirm that what is taking place in Sudan today goes beyond an armed conflict between rival forces. It exposes a deeply rooted pattern of identity-based and discriminatory violence, in which crimes are being committed in an organized and systematic manner, in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and the principles of human dignity.

The undersigned organizations warn that the persistence of impunity in Sudan and other conflict zones is a direct consequence of the international community’s failure to uphold its legal and moral obligations to protect civilians and prevent the recurrence of mass atrocities.

Accordingly, the undersigned organizations call on:

• The UN Security Council and the African Union to convene an emergency session, impose a comprehensive ceasefire, and ensure the protection of civilians in Darfur and all conflict-affected regions of Sudan.
• States Parties to the Rome Statute and the international community to activate international accountability by supporting the ICC investigations into crimes committed in Darfur and extending their scope to include recent atrocities in El-Fasher and Bara, ensuring that no perpetrator escapes justice.
• The Security Council and UN Member States to impose targeted sanctions on the military and political leadership of the RSF and on any actors supplying or financing them, including states or entities violating the UN arms embargo on Sudan.
  
• All parties to the conflict to comply with international humanitarian and human-rights law, immediately cease attacks on civilians, guarantee safe humanitarian corridors for evacuation and relief, and remove any obstacles preventing aid delivery.
• International and regional mechanisms, especially those under the UN and African Union, to strengthen and facilitate independent documentation of crimes in Sudan and ensure unrestricted access to affected areas across the country.

Signatory Organizations:

• Adalaty Organization
• AFOMAS -Association of Families of Missing Asylum Seekers
• Amal Healing and Advocacy Center
• Association of Victims of Chemical Weapons
• Caesar Families Association
• Detainees’ Voice
• Families for Freedom
• Families for Truth and Justice
• Human Rights Organization in Syria – MAF
• Lamsat Ward
• Massar Families Association
• Musawa Women Studies Center
• Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM)
• Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR)
• Syrian Women’s Network
• Syrians for Truth and Justice
• The Syria Campaign
• Transformative Pathways
• Truth and Justice Charter
• Urnammu – for Justice and Human Rights