The undersigned organizations mark three years since the outbreak of war in Sudan by renewing our solidarity with the Sudanese people and calling for urgent action to protect civilians and bring this devastating conflict to an end.
Since 15 April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a brutal war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces that has caused immense human suffering and driven the country into one of the gravest humanitarian and human rights crises in the world. What began as a struggle for power between armed actors has evolved into a protracted catastrophe borne overwhelmingly by civilians. Across Sudan, millions have been displaced, towns and cities have been devastated, and essential civilian infrastructure, including homes, hospitals, schools, markets, and water and electricity facilities, has been damaged, destroyed, or rendered inaccessible.
For three years, civilians have faced relentless violence, insecurity, and deprivation. The conflict is marked by grave violations and abuses, including unlawful killings, extrajudicial executions, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture, conflict-related sexual violence, looting, siege tactics, and attacks on civilian objects. Entire communities have been uprooted, Partially or entirely, as occurred with the Masalit community in El Geneina between June and November 2023, and with Zaghawa, Tunjur, Berti, and other communities in North Darfur during the events surrounding the fall of El Fasher in late October 2025, families have been torn apart, and vast numbers of people have been left without adequate access to food, water, shelter, medical care, or protection. Women, children, older persons, persons with disabilities, human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, and humanitarian workers have faced particular risks amid the ongoing conflict.
The war has also deepened ethnic violence and collective punishment in several parts of the country, as documented in our specialized, periodic, and urgent reports especially in Darfur and other heavily affected regions. Civilians have been targeted not only as individuals trapped in conflict, but also as communities exposed to persecution, retaliation, and identity-based violence. The continued commission of such violations, in a context of near-total impunity, has compounded the suffering of victims and further undermined prospects for peacebuilding, justice, and social cohesion in Sudan.
Beyond the immediate violence, the war resulted in the destruction of Sudan’s institutional and social fabric. Civilian life has been shattered by the collapse of basic services, the breakdown of governance structures, the erosion of the rule of law, and the shrinking of civic space. Humanitarian operations have been obstructed, local responders have operated under constant threat, and many civilians remain trapped in areas affected by fighting, siege, or deliberate restrictions on movement and aid. The longer the conflict continues, the deeper the damage to Sudan’s future.
The scale of international and regional failure in responding to this crisis remains deeply alarming. Despite the magnitude of the suffering, efforts to protect civilians and halt the war have remained gravely inadequate. Expressions of concern have not translated into the level of action required to stop ongoing atrocities, ensure meaningful civilian protection, or alleviate the humanitarian disaster. The continued flow of political, financial, and military support that sustains the conflict must also be urgently addressed. Any serious effort to end the war must include concrete measures to stop enabling the parties responsible for prolonging civilian suffering.
At the same time, the undersigned organizations recognize the extraordinary courage and resilience shown by Sudanese civilians throughout the past three years. Across the country, local communities, emergency response initiatives, medical workers, volunteers, women-led groups, youth networks, and civil society actors have continued to save lives, support displaced populations and refugees, document violations, and provide assistance under extreme and dangerous conditions. Their efforts have sustained communities in the absence of adequate national and international protection, and they must be recognized and meaningfully supported.
Three years into this war, the priority must be clear: protecting civilians and ending the war. This requires an immediate cessation of attacks against civilians and civilian objects, genuine and unhindered humanitarian access, and concrete steps toward a just and sustainable resolution that centers the rights, dignity, and aspirations of the Sudanese people. It also requires stronger action by the United Nations, the African Union, and the wider international community to press for civilian protection, support accountability efforts, and to stop the armed conflict.
The undersigned organizations therefore call on all parties to the conflict to immediately cease attacks on civilians, end violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, and take urgent steps toward ending hostilities. We call on regional and international actors to intensify efforts to protect civilians, support efforts to document violations and advocate for accountability, ensure safe and unhindered humanitarian access across Sudan, and support a credible civilian-led path toward peace. We further stress that there can be no durable peace without justice, and no meaningful future for Sudan without accountability for the grave violations and abuses committed over the past three years.
We stand with the people of Sudan and renew our call for urgent, principled, and sustained action. Sudanese civilians have already endured three years of war, devastation, displacement, and loss. They cannot be left to endure more delay, more impunity, and more abandonment. The war must end. Civilians must be protected.
Signatory organizations:
- AWAFY Sudanese Organization
- Committee For Justice (CFJ)
- Free Aqlam Network for Human Rights
- Juzour For Human Rights
- Nubian Centre for Peace and Democracy
- Sudan Rights Watch Network