Lara Kajs
Dispatches from the Field — The Genocide Report
Washington, DC — 12 March 2025
Sudan’s ongoing civil war represents a critical test of international humanitarian law and atrocity prevention mechanisms. The conflict, arising from a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, has produced widespread civilian harm, systematic abuses, and displacement, underscoring the need for sustained international engagement.
Historical and Political Context
Sudan has faced sustained conflict and political upheaval since April 2023, when tensions between rival military factions escalated into full-scale war. The conflict centers on a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti.
Both leaders had previously cooperated in the 2019 coup that removed longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir from power. Competing ambitions over military authority and Sudan’s political future ultimately drove the country into violent confrontation. The collapse of the transition to civilian governance deepened instability, leaving a power vacuum that neither side was willing to concede. Despite ongoing diplomatic efforts and humanitarian engagement, a durable resolution remains elusive.
Human Rights Violations
The conflict has been characterized by widespread and systematic abuses against civilians. Arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings have been documented. Political dissidents, journalists, and activists remain especially vulnerable, often detained without due process and subjected to severe abuse.
Indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas, including Khartoum, have resulted in mass casualties. Airstrikes, artillery shelling, and the use of heavy weaponry have destroyed homes, hospitals, markets, and critical infrastructure. Both SAF and RSF forces have been accused of recruiting child soldiers and exploiting forced labor. In regions such as Darfur, evidence indicates acts consistent with ethnic cleansing, particularly against non-Arab communities, with mass graves uncovered containing execution-style killings. Cultural and religious sites have also been deliberately destroyed.
Sexual violence has been pervasive throughout the conflict. Women and girls have been subjected to rape and other forms of sexual abuse, often used deliberately to terrorize and destabilize communities. Survivors face significant barriers to justice, including stigma, lack of legal recourse, and ongoing threats of retaliation.
The scale and pattern of abuses in Sudan raise urgent concerns under international humanitarian and human rights law, including the risk of further mass atrocity crimes.”
Humanitarian Crisis
The humanitarian consequences of the conflict are catastrophic. More than 12.5 million people have been displaced, including over nine million internally displaced and an additional 3.5 million fleeing to neighboring countries such as Chad, Egypt, and South Sudan.
Displaced populations face dire conditions, with overcrowded camps lacking adequate food, clean water, shelter, and medical care. Humanitarian operations are severely constrained by obstruction from both SAF and RSF forces, as well as targeted attacks against aid workers. Critical shortages of essential supplies and the collapse of the healthcare system have increased vulnerability to disease, malnutrition, and exploitation. Women and children are disproportionately affected.
The Bottom Line
International calls for a ceasefire, accountability, and expanded humanitarian access have thus far failed to alter the trajectory of the conflict. Without meaningful political resolution and a rebalancing of power between SAF and RSF, prospects for stability remain remote.
The situation in Sudan reflects more than an internal power struggle—it underscores the consequences of prolonged impunity, fragile political transitions, and the absence of sustained international enforcement mechanisms. The scale and pattern of abuses raise urgent concerns under international humanitarian and human rights law, including the risk of further mass atrocity crimes.
A coordinated and sustained international response is essential, encompassing enforcement of accountability, securing humanitarian access, and support for long-term political and institutional reform. Without such measures, the conflict will continue to deepen, with devastating and potentially irreversible consequences for the Sudanese people.
Atrocity Prevention Lens
The Sudan conflict presents multiple risk indicators for mass atrocities, including targeted violence against civilian populations, ethnicized attacks, widespread sexual violence, and obstruction of humanitarian aid. Prevention strategies should prioritize early warning systems, coordinated diplomatic pressure, enforcement of accountability mechanisms, and protection of displaced populations. International actors must sustain engagement across political, military, and humanitarian dimensions, emphasizing both immediate civilian protection and long-term institutional reform to mitigate conditions conducive to further atrocities.
Legal Framework
International Humanitarian Law
The Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols protect civilians and other non-combatants during armed conflict. Violations such as indiscriminate attacks, forced displacement, and targeting of medical facilities constitute breaches of international humanitarian law, which may amount to war crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
International Human Rights Law
Sudan is subject to obligations under international human rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees the right to life, freedom from torture, and due process. Systematic violations of these rights by state and non-state actors may constitute crimes against humanity.
Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing
Targeted violence against specific ethnic groups, particularly in Darfur, may meet the threshold for ethnic cleansing and could fall within the scope of genocide as defined by the 1948 Genocide Convention. Both the ICC and UN investigative mechanisms have assessed patterns of systematic killings, forced displacement, and cultural destruction as indicators warranting accountability measures.
Suggested Citation:
Kajs, Lara. “Sudan Conflict: The Human Rights Impact of Civil War.” Dispatches from the Field. The Genocide Report, Washington, DC, 2 March 2025.
Photo Credit
“Chad Edtech Solutions Sudanese Refugees” by Global Partnership for Education – GPE. Licensed under CC By NC ND 2.0
About TGR
The Genocide Report (TGR) publishes analysis and educational resources on conflict, international law, and atrocity prevention. Its work seeks to bridge academic research, field realities, and public understanding of mass violence and civilian protection.
About the Author
Lara Kajs is the founder and executive director of The Genocide Report, a Washington, DC-based educational nonprofit focused on atrocity prevention and international law. She is the author of several field-based books on conflict, displacement, humanitarian crises, and international humanitarian law, drawing on extensive research and field experience in Yemen, Syria, and Afghanistan. Her writing and public speaking focus on atrocity crimes, forced displacement, the protection of civilians, and the legal frameworks governing armed conflict.