Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called upon the leaders of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to urgently investigate and halt their personnel’s abusive practices towards detainees. As noted in the urgent appeal, HRW has provided evidence of severe human rights violations, including torture, summary executions, and mutilation of bodies.
HRW reported that between August 24, 2023, and July 11, 2024, social media uploads revealed multiple instances of these abuses. A June 28, 2024 video on X (formerly Twitter) depicted RSF forces executing at least 21 unarmed detainees near El Fula, while another video from May 8 showed two detainees being executed near El Obeid. Additional footage revealed 18 detainees being beaten, whipped, and forced to walk on their knees, indicating systemic mistreatment.
HRW’s Sudan researcher, Mohamed Osman, emphasized the necessity of addressing these violations by stating: “Forces from Sudan’s warring parties feel so immune to punishment that they have repeatedly filmed themselves executing, torturing, dehumanizing detainees and mutilating bodies.” He stressed the importance of prosecuting these acts as war crimes to ensure accountability for commanders and perpetrators.
The reported violence has not been limited to individual acts of brutality but has included large-scale attacks on civilian populations. On July 27, pro-democracy activists reported that at least 25 people were killed and dozens wounded during an RSF attack on El-Fasher. The RSF allegedly engaged in indiscriminate shelling, though the militia denied the accusations and offered no further comment.
The situation has prompted international concern over its escalating humanitarian impact. In May 2024, UN human rights chief Volker Türk warned of potential catastrophe in El-Fasher, a city with a dense population of residents and internally displaced people at imminent risk of famine. Türk urged both factions to cease hostilities and return to ceasefire negotiations in an effort to prevent further humanitarian disaster.
The current conflict has turned Sudan into one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises since the outbreak of violence in April 2023. More details on HRW’s findings and subsequent appeals can be found in their report.