Sudan: People of Sudan 'Need Action, Not Sympathy'

CARE International
Children receive food from a CARE supported community Kitchen in Alneem IDP Camp in East Darfur, Sudan
10 September 2025
allAfrica.com
By Peter Kenny

Geneva — "Civilians are not simply caught in the crossfire; they are being deliberately targeted, displaced, and starved."

The chair of the UN's Independent Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan, Mohamed Chande Othman, painted a grim picture of life in the north-east African country, saying the people need action, not sympathy.

"Sudan is enduring a war of atrocities," said Othman, speaking about the conflict afflicting Africa's third biggest country by area on September 9 at the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The civil war began on April 15, 2023, between two rival factions of the military government of Sudan.

Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn

It involves the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (commonly known as Hemedti).

War crimes

The UN fact-finding body head said that both the RSF and the SAF, and their respective allies, "have committed war crimes".

In the case of the RSF, many acts rise to the level of crimes against humanity, including persecution and extermination, he said.

"Sexual and gender-based violence has been a defining feature of this war," Othman rued.

"The Mission documented rape, gang rape, sexual slavery, abductions, and forced marriage by RSF fighters, often targeting non-Arab women and girls, some as young as 12."

He said there is also evidence of SAF committing sexual violence, particularly in detention centres.

At the same hearing, the United Kingdom's Human Rights Ambassador, Eleanor Sanders, issued the report of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan.

"The details contained in the Fact-Finding Mission's report are, frankly, horrific," said Sanders.

She said Sudan's brutal conflict has triggered the world's largest humanitarian crisis, with 8.7 million people on the brink of famine and over 12.5 million displaced.

"This war must end," said the UK envoy.

'Push for peace talks'

"We call on the international community – including regional actors, the African Union and the UN – to use its influence to push for peace talks, unblock humanitarian access, ensure civilian safety, respect the arms embargo, and promote peace and accountability."

More than 20,000 people were killed and 15 million displaced, according to UN and local figures.

However, the Anadolu Agency cited US-based researchers' estimates that the actual death toll is as high as 130,000.

Still, Peter Sands, executive director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund), said at a press conference on Wednesday, Sept.10, that the biggest killer of small children in Sudan is malaria.

Tagged:
Copyright © 2025 allAfrica.com. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.