Banjul, The Gambia, 13 May 2026 — The Committee for Justice (CFJ) organized a public side event on Sudan on the margins of the 87th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), under the title: “Sudan in Crisis: Strengthening Civil Society Engagement with the ACHPR-AU and UN Fact-Finding Missions.” The event was held at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre in Kololi, The Gambia.
The side event brought together representatives of the ACHPR-AU Joint Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan, the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Sudan, and Sudanese and regional civil society organizations to discuss practical avenues for strengthening documentation, protection, referrals, evidence preservation, and accountability efforts in Sudan.
The event was moderated by Usame Mehmetoglu, Regional Officer at CFJ. Speakers included Hon. Commissioner Hatem Essaiem, Vice-Chairperson of the ACHPR and Chairperson of the ACHPR-AU Joint Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan; Dr. Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, Member of the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Sudan; Mohammed Abakar, Research Coordinator at AWAFY Sudanese Organization; Mohammed Adam Hassan, Executive Director of Darfur Network for Human Rights; Zainab Mohamed, Protection Associate at SIHA Network; and Noura Mohamed, Program Coordinator at Sudan Defenders.
During the discussion, speakers and participants addressed the continuing deterioration of the human rights situation in Sudan since the outbreak of the armed conflict on 15 April 2023, including unlawful killings, arbitrary detention, poor detention conditions, torture and ill-treatment, enforced disappearances, conflict-related sexual violence, forced displacement, attacks affecting civilian infrastructure, and obstruction of humanitarian access.
Participants also discussed the situation of Sudanese refugees in neighboring countries and the increasing legal and humanitarian challenges they face, including obstacles to accessing protection, basic services, and legal procedures, as well as concerns related to refoulement and other violations that may affect those fleeing the conflict.
The interventions further highlighted the situation of human rights defenders and women human rights defenders in Sudan, particularly in light of the targeting, harassment, threats, and security and operational restrictions they face, which undermine their ability to document violations, support victims and survivors, and engage safely with regional and international mechanisms. Participants stressed that the protection of HRDs and WHRDs, and the establishment of safe documentation and referral channels, must remain central to any practical cooperation between the two fact-finding missions and Sudanese and regional civil society.
Particular attention was given to the situation in Darfur, including El Fasher, and in the Kordofan regions, where civilians continue to face heightened risks of atrocity crimes, siege conditions, displacement, denial of humanitarian assistance, and ethnically targeted violence.
The discussion also highlighted the importance of the Banjul Joint Declaration on Sudan, announced by the ACHPR-AU Joint Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan and the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Sudan. Participants emphasized that cooperation between regional and international mechanisms must translate into practical follow-up, including stronger engagement with civil society, safer documentation channels, protection-sensitive referrals, and credible accountability measures.
CFJ stressed that Sudanese civil society organizations and human rights defenders remain essential actors in documenting violations, supporting victims and survivors, and engaging with accountability mechanisms despite severe security and operational challenges. CFJ further emphasized the need to ensure that civil society engagement with both missions is structured, safe, victim-centred, and guided by a do-no-harm approach.
The side event reaffirmed the importance of continued cooperation between African and UN human rights mechanisms, and of ensuring that such cooperation contributes directly to civilian protection, preservation of evidence, justice for victims and survivors, and accountability for serious violations committed in Sudan.