Committee for Justice followed with close attention the mission of the Joint Fact-Finding Mission on the human rights situation in Sudan, established under the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which conducted a field visit to the Republic of Chad from 19 to 23 January 2026. The visit included meetings with Sudanese refugees who had fled the armed conflict and grave human rights violations inside Sudan.
This visit falls within the mandate conferred upon the African Commission to promote and protect human and peoples’ rights across the African continent, and pursuant to decisions issued by the African Union Peace and Security Council authorizing the Joint Mission to investigate allegations of serious and widespread violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed in the context of the ongoing conflict in Sudan.
The Mission’s delegation included several Commissioners of the African Commission and Special Rapporteurs on the prevention of torture; refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons and migrants; indigenous populations and minorities; and transitional justice in conflict situations, in addition to experts and staff members from the Commission’s Secretariat.
During the visit, the delegation held official meetings with Chadian authorities, including the Prime Minister and several ministers responsible for human rights, foreign affairs, justice, and security. The delegation also met with representatives of national bodies responsible for refugee reception, as well as United Nations agencies and humanitarian organizations operating in Chad.
The field visit further included visits to areas hosting Sudanese refugees in Adre and the Metche and Aboutengue camps, where the delegation heard first-hand testimonies from refugees and victims of grave violations, including killings, sexual violence, forced displacement, and loss of livelihoods. Refugees described this engagement as the first direct field-level contact with an African Union-mandated mission since the outbreak of the conflict.
In a related context, the delegation visited an integrated center providing care for survivors of gender-based violence and met with Sudanese refugee women who survived conflict-related violations. Testimonies documented during these meetings revealed serious and systematic patterns of violence and abuse affecting women and girls.
The Mission confirmed that the information collected during this field mission will contribute to the completion of its preliminary report, which was previously prepared based on remote interviews, and will inform the drafting of a comprehensive report containing findings and recommendations. This report will be submitted to the African Union Peace and Security Council following its formal adoption by the African Commission.
In this context, the Committee for Justice affirms that it maintained active and continuous engagement with the African Joint Fact-Finding Mission throughout 2025, during which it provided oral and written information concerning patterns of grave violations committed in the context of the conflict in Sudan. The Committee also directly coordinated meetings between members of the Mission and a number of victims and survivors, and facilitated channels of communication between the Mission and several independent Sudanese human rights organizations.
In addition, the Committee for Justice organized several trainings and workshops for Sudanese human rights defenders, focusing on safe and effective engagement with the African fact-finding mission on Sudan, the importance of submitting documented information and testimonies, and the role of such engagement in supporting investigative and accountability efforts and ensuring that victims’ voices reach relevant mechanisms. In this framework, the Committee organized a consultative meeting in March 2025 that brought together the Mission’s Secretariat and six Sudanese human rights organizations, with the aim of introducing these organizations to the Mission’s working methodology, mandate, communication channels, and procedures for submitting documented information. The meeting also sought to provide these organizations with the opportunity to present the violations they monitor and document and to engage directly with the Mission, as well as to strengthen the engagement of Sudanese civil society with regional mechanisms, thereby contributing to accountability efforts and justice for victims.
The Committee for Justice reaffirms its readiness to maintain continued engagement and coordination with the African Joint Fact-Finding Mission, and to support its mandate and documentation efforts, as well as the promotion of accountability and the protection of victims’ rights.
The Committee for Justice considers this visit an important step toward breaking the isolation of victims of the Sudanese conflict, and stresses the need to translate the Mission’s findings into concrete measures that ensure accountability for grave violations, provide redress for victims, protect the rights of refugees, and prevent impunity for those responsible for crimes committed.