The undersigned organizations urge Member States of the United Nations Human Rights Council to renew the mandate of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) on Sudan for two additional years and to maintain its work for as long as the conflict persists and serious violations continue. This renewal is not simply procedural; it is a substantive measure required to ensure continued documentation of grave violations, preservation of evidence, and identification of those responsible. It is also necessary to provide Sudanese and regional human rights defenders with adequate time and security to gather and transmit comprehensive and verified information to the Mission.
The FFM was established on 11 October 2023 through Human Rights Council resolution 54/2 as a decisive response to the escalating armed conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which erupted on 15 April 2023. When the Council extended the mandate in October 2024 via resolution 57/2, it recognized the direct link between entrenched impunity and Sudan’s recurring cycles of violence. That recognition is more urgent than ever as the conflict now enters its third year.
Sudan faces the largest internal displacement crisis in the world, surpassing even Syria at its peak.[1] Over 12 million people have been displaced, including more than 7.6 million inside Sudan’s borders. Attacks on civilian infrastructure -markets, displacement camps, hospitals, and water facilities- continue unabated. Access to essential services is severely restricted, with deliberate obstruction of humanitarian aid and repeated targeting of aid workers and convoys. The healthcare system has been systematically degraded through attacks, looting, and occupation of facilities, causing acute shortages of medical supplies and depriving the population of basic care.
Credible findings from the FFM and other independent organizations indicate that all parties to the conflict have committed violations that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, and that acts perpetrated by the RSF and allied militias in Darfur could constitute ethnic cleansing. These include deliberate and indiscriminate attacks on civilians, arbitrary arrests, incommunicado detention, enforced disappearances, torture, extrajudicial killings, forced displacement, sexual assault, and rape. Ethnically motivated massacres, particularly against the Masalit and other non-Arab communities in Darfur, have been documented, alongside systematic reprisals against journalists, activists, and human rights defenders.
Despite being denied physical access to Sudan, the FFM has advanced its work through hundreds of witness interviews in neighbouring countries, reports from independent human rights organizations, analysis of digital and open-source evidence, geolocation of attacks. It has coordinated with survivors, civil society organizations, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and relevant judicial bodies, while initiating confidential cooperation with international accountability mechanisms. This work has already preserved critical evidence for potential future prosecutions, including before the International Criminal Court.
The complexity and magnitude of the violations demand a sustained and robust international response. Failure to renew the mandate would leave critical investigations unfinished, undermine protections for victims and witnesses, and risk impunity for those responsible for serious violations. Extending the mandate will strengthen the international community’s commitment to the rule of law, send a clear message that impunity will not be tolerated, and ensure that those responsible for serious crimes will be held accountable. The continuation of the FFM’s work is also essential for laying the evidentiary and institutional foundations necessary for a credible transitional justice process to be implemented as part of Sudan’s eventual recovery and peacebuilding efforts.
The FFM plays a unique role in providing an impartial, authoritative record of events, supporting the victims of violations, and reinforcing broader efforts toward justice and reconciliation. As the FFM highlighted in their June 2025 update “peace without justice is an illusion.” Any credible resolution to Sudan’s conflict must address accountability from the outset, and the FFM is indispensable to achieving this goal.
Requests to the Human Rights Council
At its upcoming 60th session, the Human Rights Council should:
Renew the mandate of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan for two additional years, ensuring it is adequately resourced and staffed to fulfil its investigative functions.
Request the FFM to present regular oral updates and comprehensive written reports to the Council, each followed by interactive dialogues, to ensure sustained scrutiny of Sudan’s human rights situation.
Ensure that the FFM’s findings are formally transmitted to the UN General Assembly and Security Council for consideration and appropriate action, including the adoption of targeted measures against perpetrators.
Call on all parties to the conflict to grant the FFM unhindered access to Sudan and to cooperate fully with its work, in line with Sudan’s obligations as a UN Member State.
Encourage closer coordination between the FFM, regional and international accountability mechanisms, including the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, to maximize the impact of investigative efforts.
The Human Rights Council must demonstrate that it remains actively engaged in addressing the ongoing crisis in Sudan. Renewing the FFM’s mandate is a necessary step to protect the integrity of ongoing investigations, uphold the rights of victims and survivors, and lay the groundwork for a just and durable peace based on truth and accountability.
Signatories
AWAFY Sudanese Organization
Committee for Justice
Emergency Lawyers Group
Feminists platform for peace and justice
Kaden Center for Justice and Human Rights
Nubian Center for Peace and Democracy
Pan health and peace
Sudan Rights Watch Network
Youth hub