12 Rights Groups to Meet in Dakar on Civilian Protection and Accountability in Sudan

DAKAR – Twelve Sudanese, regional and international organizations are set to hold a meeting in Senegal’s capital on Monday, Oct. 12, calling for stronger protection of civilians in Sudan and greater accountability for violations committed during the war.

The event, titled “Sudan First: Protecting Civilians, Pursuing Justice and Accountability,” will be held at Sama Hotel in Dakar from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. local time, bringing together human rights defenders, activists and civil society representatives.

Organizers said the meeting aims to amplify the voices of affected communities, survivors, women, young people and human rights defenders, while pressing for stronger measures to protect civilians, end impunity and defend civic space.

The organizations supporting the event include Awafi, the Youth Citizens Observers Network, the Sudan Human Rights Defenders Coalition, the Darfur Network for Human Rights, Amnesty International, AfriSud, the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies, DefendDefenders, the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA), ERD and The Reckoning Project, alongside another organization whose logo appears on the event material.

The session will be moderated by Mohamed Bira, a researcher and program director at Awafi.

Other participants include Sudanese feminist activist Ronag Shamila, founder and director of ERD; Vanessa Babiri, communications and advocacy officer at DNHR; Badour Zakaria, a human rights researcher with The Reckoning Project; and Sudanese human rights defender Khalid Mishin, a founding member and spokesperson for the Youth Citizens Observers Network.

The meeting comes as Sudan’s war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces continues to drive widespread displacement and deepen humanitarian and protection concerns across the country.

Rights groups and U.N. agencies have repeatedly called for civilians and civilian infrastructure to be protected, for violations to be investigated and for human rights defenders and civil society organizations to be able to operate without intimidation or attack.

Organizers said civilian protection, support for survivors, preservation of civic space and accountability should remain central to efforts aimed at addressing Sudan’s crisis.