Geneva – Sudan Now

The United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan warned on Monday of a growing pattern of arbitrary detention, torture and enforced disappearances across the country, saying both parties to the conflict are increasingly using such practices to control civilian populations trapped by the war.

Presenting an update to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the mission said widespread violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, as well as alleged war crimes committed by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their allied groups, showed no signs of abating.

Mission Chair Mohamed Chande Othman said civilians continue to bear the brunt of the conflict, facing not only direct attacks and violence but also what he described as a growing system of arbitrary detention and fear that increasingly shapes daily life.

The conflict between the SAF and the RSF, which began in April 2023, has displaced millions of people and triggered one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, while repeated allegations of abuses by both sides have drawn growing international scrutiny.

According to the mission, both parties have engaged in systematic patterns of arbitrary and mass detention targeting individuals suspected of supporting or sympathizing with the opposing side. Detainees are often held without legal basis, judicial oversight or fair trial guarantees and frequently face harsh conditions of detention.

The mission said civilians attempting to move between areas controlled by rival forces face heightened risks of arrest, abuse and accusations of collaboration, with some subsequently subjected to prolonged detention, torture, enforced disappearance or death.

Among those reportedly targeted are journalists, human rights defenders, humanitarian workers, political activists, community leaders, traders and relatives of combatants.

Mission member Joy Ngozi Ezeilo said movement itself had effectively become criminalized in many parts of Sudan, with civilians increasingly pressured to demonstrate loyalty to one side or the other in order to secure their safety, freedom and economic survival.

The mission also documented what it described as a pattern of detention followed by coercion and extortion by the RSF, with families allegedly forced to pay large sums of money to secure the release of detained relatives. In some cases, ransom demands reportedly reached 25 million Sudanese pounds, or approximately $40,000.

It said such practices imposed devastating economic and psychological burdens on families already affected by war and displacement and could amount to hostage-taking under international law.

The report further noted that traders crossing frontlines have faced risks of abduction and detention, undermining fragile local economies and worsening food insecurity in areas including El Fasher, El Obeid, Dilling and Kadugli.

The Human Rights Council established the fact-finding mission in October 2023 to investigate violations linked to the conflict and has since renewed its mandate to continue gathering evidence and identifying those responsible for abuses.

The mission expressed particular concern over the reported arrest of at least 70 people in El Geneina in May 2026 by RSF military intelligence. It said some of those detained were humanitarian workers and that no information about their whereabouts had been made available since their arrest.

According to the mission, RSF authorities have not disclosed the detainees’ locations or legal status and have denied access to families and lawyers. Many detainees were later transferred to detention facilities in Nyala, where they allegedly faced harsh conditions and torture.

Mission member Mona Rishmawi said the enforced disappearance of humanitarian workers raised serious concerns and undermined humanitarian operations, placing civilians dependent on life-saving assistance at greater risk.

The mission also accused the SAF of continuing to harass, arrest and detain civilian leaders, political opponents, lawyers, human rights defenders, humanitarian workers and journalists suspected of links to the RSF.

According to the report, some detainees held by the SAF were targeted because of previous leadership roles in popular movements, tribal affiliations, family connections or political views.

The mission further reported credible allegations of serious fair-trial violations, including restricted access to courts and legal counsel, coerced confessions and cases in which individuals were prosecuted again after previously being acquitted.

One case cited by the mission involved a lawyer from Singa known for representing political prisoners and victims of repression. The mission said he was arrested after the SAF retook the city and was allegedly tortured by members of the Al-Baraa Bin Malik Brigade before later being sentenced to death by a court in Sennar State in October 2025.

The report said detention conditions under both parties were frequently harsh and inhumane, with overcrowding, inadequate food and water, poor sanitation and limited access to medical care exposing detainees to serious health risks, including cholera.

Former detainees held by the SAF reported being subjected to electric shocks, severe beatings, forced stripping and denial of medical treatment in military intelligence facilities, unofficial detention sites and prisons, including Port Sudan Central Prison.

The mission also described severe conditions in Soba Prison in Khartoum when it was under RSF control and expressed concern about Nyala Prison in South Darfur, where thousands of detainees are reportedly being held in overcrowded conditions with limited medical care and widespread physical abuse.

The report said credible accounts indicated that detainees held by both parties had been subjected to coercive interrogations, physical abuse, sexual violence and other forms of psychological and physical torture, in some cases resulting in death.

The mission voiced particular concern over what it described as widespread and systematic sexual violence committed by the RSF against women and girls, as well as reports of sexually motivated torture against male detainees held by the SAF.

It further accused both sides of systematically denying humanitarian organizations and human rights groups access to detention facilities, warning that the absence of independent monitoring increases the risk of abuse and deepens the suffering of families seeking information about detained relatives.

The mission called on all parties to immediately end arbitrary detention practices, release individuals held without legal basis, ensure humane treatment and guarantee fair-trial rights for all detainees.

It also urged authorities to grant independent bodies unrestricted access to detention facilities, disclose the whereabouts and legal status of detainees, formally register all detentions and ensure regular contact between detainees, their families and legal representatives.

The mission renewed its call for cooperation with the International Criminal Court, expanded accountability efforts beyond Darfur and the establishment of an independent international judicial mechanism to work alongside the ICC in investigating and prosecuting serious crimes committed during the conflict.

Othman said the scale and gravity of the violations documented by the mission demonstrated that they were not isolated incidents but part of a broader pattern of abuse, underscoring the urgent need for accountability and coordinated international action to prevent further atrocities.