🕊️ International Statement Accusing the Sudanese Army of Using Racial Discrimination as a Weapon of War
Federation of Sudanese Human Rights Organizations
Geneva | September 2025
During the 60th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Federation of Sudanese Human Rights Centers, the Federation of Sudanese Human Rights Organizations, and the Save Sudanese Civilians Coalition issued a joint international statement during the Council’s interactive dialogue following the presentation of the International Fact-Finding Mission’s report. The statement expressed deep concern over the Sudanese Army and its allied militias’ systematic use of racial discrimination as a weapon of war.
The statement, delivered in the presence of members of the Fact-Finding Mission, attributed a series of atrocities in Wad Madani, Al-Jazirah State, and Darfur to this discriminatory policy—describing it as one of the gravest human rights catastrophes in the modern era.
🎯 Deliberate Targeting of Specific Communities
Since the Sudanese Army’s takeover of Wad Madani in December 2023, widespread violations have been documented, deliberately targeting civilians from Darfur, the Nuba Mountains, and Blue Nile regions. These violations include arbitrary arrests, denial of humanitarian aid, restrictions on freedom of movement, and incitement through hate speech in pro-military media outlets. The statement emphasized that these actions are not random, but part of a systematic policy aimed at humiliating and excluding specific communities from the national fabric.
⚠️ A Pattern of Ethnic Cleansing
The events in Al-Jazirah State reflect a recurring pattern of ethnic cleansing previously witnessed in Darfur—particularly in El Geneina, Zalingei, and Kutum. The violations include massacres, rape, and starvation targeting specific ethnic groups. The organizations stressed that the Sudanese Army, whether through direct actions or complicity, is entrenching an exclusionary reality that threatens Sudan’s unity and undermines prospects for peace and reconciliation.
📜 Clear Violations of Law
These practices constitute flagrant breaches of international treaties, including the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and international humanitarian law. They also violate Sudan’s own constitution, which guarantees equality and dignity for all citizens without discrimination.
📣 Calls for Accountability and Action
The statement urged the Human Rights Council to explicitly condemn these practices and ensure their inclusion within the mandate of the Sudan-specific Fact-Finding Mission. It also called on the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to document these violations in its official reports and urged the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) to activate early warning mechanisms and take urgent measures.
Furthermore, the international community was called upon to impose targeted sanctions on those responsible for these crimes and to support Sudanese civil society organizations working to document violations and protect survivors and witnesses.
🛑 Discrimination as a Weapon of War
The statement warned that racial discrimination in Sudan has evolved from a social or political legacy into a repressive tool wielded by the military leadership in Port Sudan to control cities and suppress civilians. The organizations cautioned that international silence amounts to complicity and emphasized that the Human Rights Council bears both moral and legal responsibility to act swiftly in pursuit of justice for the victims.
🚨 A Deepening Humanitarian Tragedy
In conclusion, the statement highlighted that the growing number of victims and displaced persons makes the Sudanese crisis one of the greatest humanitarian tragedies in recent history. The absence of accountability will prolong the conflict and embolden perpetrators. The organizations affirmed that the time has come to turn words into action—before racial discrimination and war leave an irreversible mark on Sudan’s future.