International Federation
for Human Rights

Members of Sudan’s security forces enjoy blanket protection for crimes committed in conflict zones and throughout the country. A climate of near-total impunity is created by laws that grant formal immunity from prosecution to members of the armed forces, the NISS – including the Rapid Support Forces under their command – and the police. Statutes of limitation, lack of adequate victims and witness protection and systems of special courts for security forces are also issues of concern.

In September and October 2013, Sudanese security forces used live ammunition to disperse peaceful demonstrators in cities throughout Sudan, leading to the deaths of at least 185 people and injuring hundreds. Security officials detained at least 800 demonstrators, opposition party members and activists. Many were released within days, often following summary trials leading to floggings or fines, but others were held by the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) for weeks or months without charge or access to family or lawyers.

Two years after the massacre, the government of Sudan has repeatedly failed to ensure prompt, thorough, impartial and effective investigations into the excessive and lethal force used by security forces and has failed to ensure effective remedies or provide reparation to the victims or their families. While the government has set up Committees with a mandate to investigate the incidents, their composition, the parameters of their investigations and their findings have never been made public. Of at least 85 criminal complaints lodged, just one proceeded to court. The murder conviction of the accused, a Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) officer, was overturned on appeal.

Meanwhile, across Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile, Government forces have continued to directly and indiscriminately target civilians and civilian infrastructure in brutal counter-insurgency campaigns using aerial bombardments and ground offensives.

In Darfur, the conflict that has raged for 12 years continues to devastate the lives of civilians and cause mass forced displacement. Levels of violence in early 2015 were reported to be at the highest level since 2004, accompanied by exceptional killings. Government offensives against communities perceived to support the armed opposition have followed a pattern of aerial bombardment followed by ground attacks, including the destruction and looting of villages. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary government force under the command of the NISS and consisting largely of former militias, have led to a number of brutal counterinsurgency campaigns against civilian populations since their creation in mid-2013. Human rights violations have included the forced displacement of entire communities, widespread and severe physical and sexual abuse, including mass rape, extra-judicial killings, acts of torture, arbitrary and incommunicado detentions, and the destruction of essential civilian infrastructure.

In Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states, civilians also continue to be the targets of indiscriminate aerial bombardment and ground offensives. Government forces, again deploying the RSF, have destroyed civilian property including villages, health facilities, schools, mosques and churches. Authorities continue to obstruct humanitarian assistance and carry out arbitrary arrests and commit torture. Their forces and allied militia have been implicated in alarming levels of sexual violence. There is also evidence that Government aircraft has deliberately bombed hospitals and other humanitarian facilities and used cluster bombs in South Kordofan. Mirroring strategies deployed in Darfur, entire communities have been displaced by Government forces in what appears to be collective punishment for their perceived support to the rebel movements based on ethnic identity.