By HAN News Desk
BANJUL, The Gambia – The fifth day of the 85th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR85) focused on a crucial debate surrounding the Joint Fact-Finding Mission’s report on the deteriorating human rights situation in Sudan. The session brought together regional and international human rights experts, diplomats, and representatives of civil society to assess the escalating humanitarian crisis in the war-torn country.
The discussion opened with a presentation of the mission’s findings, which offered a comprehensive overview of the grave human rights violations taking place across Sudan since the outbreak of fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The report detailed cases of widespread violence, extrajudicial killings, sexual assaults, arbitrary detentions, and targeted attacks against civilians, particularly affecting women and girls.
The delegation also noted that ethnic minorities and marginalized groups have faced systematic discrimination and abuses. The conflict has led to mass displacement, with millions of migrants, asylum seekers, refugees, and internally displaced persons (IDPs) suffering from a severe lack of access to food, healthcare, and basic services.
Speaking during the session, Wini Omer, Coordinator and member of the delegation participating in the public hearing, commended the work of the Fact-Finding Mission and welcomed its findings. She emphasized that although the report paints a deeply troubling and distressing picture of the situation, it also provides vital documentation and evidence that reinforces the claims long made by Sudanese civil society groups and human rights defenders since the conflict erupted in April 2023.
“This report is not just a reflection of the suffering in Sudan,” Wini said, “it is a call to action and accountability. The international community must not turn away from the atrocities being committed.”
Wini underscored the need for shared and coordinated responsibility among regional organizations, governments, and humanitarian partners to ensure the effective implementation of the report’s recommendations. She placed special emphasis on measures aimed at the protection of civilians, the prevention of gender-based violence, and the accountability of perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
She also called for closer collaboration between the Fact-Finding Mission and Sudanese civil society organizations, arguing that their partnership is essential to expand investigations, collect testimonies, and ensure the credibility and independence of the mission’s work.
Furthermore, Wini highlighted the urgent need for increased logistical and financial support from regional bodies and international donors to sustain the Fact-Finding Mission. She stressed that while resources are critical, it is equally important to safeguard the mission’s independence and impartiality, so that it can continue to operate free from political interference.
“The people of Sudan deserve justice and peace,” she added. “Our collective moral and institutional responsibility is to ensure that their suffering is neither ignored nor forgotten.”
The ACHPR85 session, being held in Banjul, The Gambia, continues to provide a vital platform for addressing Africa’s pressing human rights challenges. The situation in Sudan, however, has taken center stage as one of the continent’s most urgent crises — a conflict that has displaced over 10 million people and triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian emergencies.
The Commission is expected to deliberate further on the Fact-Finding Mission’s recommendations and consider mechanisms for monitoring their implementation, with the aim of strengthening accountability and promoting lasting peace and justice in Sudan.
