A UN report reveals severe human rights violations in Sudan, detailing patterns of arbitrary detention and torture by the RSF and SAF. Thousands of detainees suffer inhumane conditions, including women and children. The report calls for immediate action to halt these abuses and urges international intervention to ensure accountability.
A recent UN report reveals a stark pattern of arbitrary detention, torture, and mistreatment by both the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in Khartoum State. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, tens of thousands of individuals, including women and children, have been detained without charges, facing severe restrictions on family contact and enduring appalling conditions since the conflict commenced in April 2023.
The UN report highlights the grave situation within detention facilities, where former detainees have recounted experiences of extreme brutality, including persistent beatings and substandard living conditions. Overcrowding, poor sanitation, and insufficient access to food and water have been commonplace, with reports of detainees dying due to lack of medical care in both RSF and SAF facilities.
Children as young as 14 have reportedly been used as guards and those as young as 13 have been detained alongside adults. Furthermore, the report outlines incidents of sexual violence and exploitation against female detainees in RSF-controlled facilities.
Discriminatory practices based on ethnicity have also emerged, particularly impacting individuals from the Darfur and Kordofan regions. Detainees from African tribal backgrounds have experienced more frequent torture within RSF facilities, while individuals perceived as affiliated with the opposing faction face targeted detention by the SAF.
There are serious concerns regarding enforced disappearances, with many detainees held incommunicado and their families left without information regarding their whereabouts. One particularly distressing case highlighted a family’s repeated inquiries about a detained relative who was later confirmed deceased.
Although the report focuses on Khartoum State, similar patterns of abuse have been documented elsewhere in Sudan. The UN Office has observed concerning reports of RSF transferring detainees to undisclosed locations as the SAF regains control of territories. These practices could exacerbate violations of human rights and undermine the rule of law.
The report calls for an immediate halt to arbitrary detentions, torture, and ill-treatment and demands improvement in detention conditions. It urges the international community to hold the involved parties accountable and mobilize efforts to address these widespread human rights violations and abuses.
Moreover, previous reports have indicated that entrenched impunity in Sudan is perpetuating the cycle of human rights violations, as conflict expands and additional armed groups become involved. While both belligerents have acknowledged isolated incidents, they deny systemic abuses, attributing them to individual rogue elements.
The UN Human Rights report underscores a disturbing trend of arbitrary detention and torture in Sudan, affecting thousands, including vulnerable groups such as women and children. It reveals significant human rights violations perpetrated by both the RSF and SAF, highlighting the urgent need for accountability and reform in detention practices. The international community is called upon to engage actively in addressing these atrocities and reinforce the rule of law in Sudan.
Original Source: www.dabangasudan.org
