Signatory Organizations Call for the Renewal of the Mandate of the International Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan Amid Ongoing Violations and Increasing External Support for the Conflict
The report highlights the expansion of military capabilities employed in the conflict, particularly the increasing use of long-range drones, which has broadened the geographic scope of military operations and exposed civilians and civilian objects to greater risks. The Mission concluded that both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) committed serious violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law during drone operations, some of which may amount to war crimes. The report also documents attacks affecting civilians, hospitals, markets, schools, displacement sites, and civilian infrastructure.
The report further sheds light on the role of external support in strengthening the military capacities of conflict parties and prolonging the conflict, including transnational networks involved in the recruitment, transportation, training, and deployment of fighters in Sudan, as well as the provision of weapons, drones, and military and technical assistance. According to the Mission’s findings, such support has enhanced the ability of conflict parties to conduct long-range military operations, despite previous findings by the Mission documenting war crimes, crimes against humanity, and conduct indicative of a risk of genocide in El Fasher.
The undersigned organizations believe that the significance of this report extends beyond its documentation of violations. It also provides critical evidence and analysis that help explain the structures sustaining the conflict, including arms supply routes and networks responsible for recruitment, transportation, financing, and military assistance. Such information is essential for preventing further violations and ensuring accountability, including through tracing responsibility across chains of command, financing, and support.
The undersigned organizations emphasize that the persistence of violations, the widening scope of the conflict, the evolution of military tactics and technologies, and the growing number of actors involved in providing military assistance make the existence of an independent international mechanism capable of investigation, monitoring, and evidence-gathering indispensable. This is particularly important given the continuing restrictions on access to information within Sudan and the lack of cooperation by the Sudanese authorities with the Mission despite repeated requests for engagement and access to the country.
Accordingly, the undersigned organizations recommend that the United Nations Human Rights Council renew the mandate of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan, ensuring that it can continue to operate independently and effectively, and that it receives the resources necessary to carry on investigating serious violations and international crimes, identifying those responsible, and preserving evidence relevant to present and future accountability efforts.
This recommendation is based on the Mission’s latest findings regarding the continued commission of grave violations against civilians, the increasing reliance on weapons and drones, and the ongoing flow of fighters and military support through external networks, as well as the war crimes, crimes against humanity, and widespread abuses documented in its previous reports. The report also makes clear that advances in military technology have not resulted in greater civilian protection; rather, enhanced military capabilities have expanded the range of locations vulnerable to attack.
The undersigned organizations consider the renewal of the Mission’s mandate a necessary step for preserving an independent international path toward fact-finding and accountability, preventing the loss of evidence related to violations, and ensuring the continued documentation of patterns of abuse and the identification of those responsible, including actors involved in financing, arming, training, or otherwise supporting the parties to the conflict.
The organizations further stress that the Mission’s work remains a vital mechanism for keeping the human rights situation in Sudan under international scrutiny, amplifying the voices of victims and survivors before international institutions, strengthening cooperation among relevant UN and regional mechanisms, and supporting efforts aimed at achieving justice, reparations, and non-recurrence. The Mission has already engaged with several international and regional bodies, including the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the International Criminal Court, and various expert mechanisms on Sudan.
The undersigned organizations therefore call on the Human Rights Council and UN member states to support the renewal of the Mission’s mandate and to ensure that accountability efforts are not weakened while violations continue. They also urge all parties to the conflict, as well as relevant states and actors, to cooperate fully with the Mission, provide access to information, locations, victims, and witnesses, and respect its independence and mandate.
The organizations additionally call upon the international community to implement the recommendations set out in the report, including halting the transfer of weapons, drones, and military assistance where there is a substantial risk that such support may be used to commit serious violations, strengthening mechanisms for tracking arms transfers and military support, pursuing accountability for those involved in unlawful assistance to conflict parties, and ensuring accountability throughout the chain of responsibility.
Finally, the undersigned organizations reaffirm that the protection of civilians and accountability for crimes and violations cannot be achieved without independent and transparent investigations, and that renewing the mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission is, at this stage, a human rights and legal imperative rather than merely a political option, given the continuing conflict, the widening scale of abuses, and the multiplicity of support networks that fuel and prolong the war.
Signatories:
- Committee for Justice (CFJ)
- AWAFY Sudanese Organization
- Sudan Rights Watch Network
- Darfur Network for Human Rights (DNHR)
- Doroty Center for Justice and Accountability
- Kayn for women empowerment organization
- Al Salam Organization for Humanitarian Aid
