The Committee for Justice (CFJ) organized a closed meeting in Geneva bringing together regional and international human rights mechanisms. The meeting included H.E. Commissioner Idrissa Sow, Chairperson of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights; H.E. Commissioner Hatem Essaiem, Vice-Chairperson of the Commission and Head of the African Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan; H.E. Commissioner Salma Sassi, Member of the Fact-Finding Mission, and Mr. Mohamed Sakr, Secretary of the African Commission and Secretary to the African Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan, in addition to representatives of United Nations Special Procedures, including the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID), notably Ms. Aua Balde, Member of the Working Group. The meeting further included representatives of the Sudan Task Force Coalition, including AWAFY Sudanese Organization and Sudan Women Rights Action Organization
During the meeting, representatives of the coalition delivered a comprehensive briefing on the latest human rights developments in Sudan, outlining documented patterns of serious violations across various conflict-affected regions. These included extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, torture, gender-based violence, forced labor of arbitrarily detained individuals by the RSF, and violations targeting human rights defenders and lawyers.
Members of the Sudan Task Force coalition warned of the risk of the recurrence of acts amounting to genocide in the Kordofan region, drawing parallels to the situation in El Fasher. This comes amid escalating hate speech and the targeted persecution of specific communities on ethnic grounds. Participants called for urgent and coordinated action by both international and regional mechanisms to prevent further deterioration.
The coalition further emphasized the importance of maintaining and extending the mandate of the African Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan, given its critical role in documenting violations and supporting accountability efforts. The FFM further stressed the need for the regular submission of documented information and complaints to relevant mechanisms to enable timely and effective action.
In addition, discussions addressed avenues to strengthen accountability, including the potential establishment of a hybrid regional-international accountability mechanism, such as a special court for Sudan, to ensure that perpetrators of serious violations are held accountable and to combat impunity.
Participants also agreed to maintain ongoing coordination with relevant mechanisms, including through regular information-sharing, strengthening engagement between civil society and international and regional bodies, and intensifying efforts to support victims and ensure that their voices are effectively represented.
This meeting forms part of CFJ’s ongoing efforts to strengthen coordination between international and regional mechanisms (activating the Addis Ababa roadmap) and to support the role of Sudanese civil society and coalition representatives, with a view to enhancing the protection of victims and advancing accountability in Sudan.