Widespread Human Rights Violations Documented in Sudan by UN Report

The report is based on 34 interviews with former detainees, witnesses, and relatives. Survivors recounted harrowing experiences of torture, including severe and frequent beatings.

A newly published United Nations (UN) report highlights an alarming pattern of arbitrary detention, torture, and inhumane treatment by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in Khartoum State, mirroring abuses documented in other conflict-affected regions of Sudan.

According to the report, released on Thursday, tens of thousands of individuals—including women and children—have been held without charge in overcrowded and unsanitary detention centers since the outbreak of conflict in April 2023. Detainees face severe restrictions on contact with their families and endure appalling conditions that have led to numerous deaths due to a lack of medical care.

Torture and Inhumane Conditions

The report is based on 34 interviews with former detainees, witnesses, and relatives. Survivors recounted harrowing experiences of torture, including severe and frequent beatings. Many detainees were held in facilities with little to no ventilation, minimal sanitation, and inadequate food and water. Reports indicate that multiple detainees died in custody due to medical neglect in both RSF and SAF-controlled facilities.

Use of Child Detainees and Sexual Violence

Among the grave abuses documented, the UN found evidence of the RSF forcing children as young as 14 to serve as guards, particularly in Soba prison. Additionally, children as young as 13 were detained alongside adults. Testimonies also revealed sexual violence and exploitation against women detainees in at least two RSF-controlled detention facilities.

Targeting of Individuals Based on Ethnicity and Perceived Allegiances

Both RSF and SAF were found to be engaging in discriminatory practices based on ethnicity and suspected affiliations with opposing factions. RSF-controlled facilities reportedly subjected individuals from African tribes to frequent torture and ill-treatment. Conversely, in SAF-controlled detention centers, individuals from Darfur and Kordofan—including those from Arab tribes—were often detained on suspicion of supporting the RSF.

Enforced Disappearances and Incommunicado Detentions

The report describes multiple cases of enforced disappearances. Detainees were often held without their families being informed of their whereabouts. In some instances, families were discouraged from asking about missing relatives, only to later discover that their loved ones had died in custody.

One particularly distressing case involved a man detained by RSF intelligence personnel. His family persistently sought information about his status, only to be repeatedly told, “Don’t ask about him.” Months later, they learned that he had perished in detention.

Transfer of Detainees to Unknown Locations

As the SAF regained control over certain territories, reports emerged of RSF transferring detainees to undisclosed locations. In January 2025, hundreds of detainees were reportedly moved from Soba prison in Khartoum State to various sites, including South Darfur, raising concerns over their fate and further human rights violations.

UN Demands Immediate Action

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk condemned the violations, stating, “The widespread practices of arbitrary detention, torture, and ill-treatment of detainees, along with inhumane conditions in detention facilities, are deeply disturbing. No individual should be deprived of their liberty without due process, nor subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.”

The UN report calls on both the RSF and SAF to immediately end these abuses, improve detention conditions, and allow detainees access to justice. It also urges the international community to take decisive action in pressuring both parties to adhere to international human rights laws and put an end to these violations.

As conflict continues to devastate Sudan, the findings underscore the urgent need for international intervention to safeguard fundamental human rights and hold perpetrators accountable.