Nairobi – Sudan Now
Legal Action Worldwide (LAW) and the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) announced on Monday that they have filed a criminal complaint in Kenya against individuals allegedly affiliated with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), accusing them of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during the ongoing conflict in Sudan.
In a joint statement, the two organizations said the complaint was submitted to Kenya’s Director of Public Prosecutions on behalf of 12 Sudanese victims, including survivors of detention, torture and sexual violence. The alleged crimes were reported to have taken place in and around Khartoum between April 2023 and March 2025.
According to the organizations, the complaint is based on the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows national authorities under certain circumstances to prosecute serious international crimes committed outside their territory. They described the filing as the first criminal complaint of its kind in Kenya related to the war in Sudan.
The move comes as Sudan continues to grapple with a conflict that erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF, a war that has displaced millions of people and triggered one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.
The RSF has faced growing allegations from human rights organizations, United Nations bodies and international monitoring mechanisms over alleged violations committed during the conflict, including unlawful killings, sexual violence, arbitrary detention and forced displacement. The group has consistently denied such accusations.
ACJPS Executive Director Musaid Mohamed Ali said victims and survivors had “waited too long for justice,” adding that the complaint offers a new opportunity to pursue accountability for alleged crimes committed during the war.
For her part, Legal Action Worldwide Executive Director Antonia Mulvey said United Nations investigations and reports had documented allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan, adding that survivors are seeking legal accountability for those responsible.
The statement said survivors represented in the complaint described experiences of unlawful detention, torture and sexual violence in several detention sites, including Soba Prison, the Riyadh Complex and other unofficial detention facilities in Khartoum.
Khartoum witnessed some of the most intense fighting during the early stages of the conflict, with large parts of the capital becoming battlegrounds between the SAF and the RSF. Human rights groups have repeatedly called for independent investigations into alleged abuses committed against civilians during that period.
The legal action in Kenya comes amid broader international efforts to document violations linked to the Sudan conflict and pursue accountability through regional and international legal mechanisms. Rights advocates argue that such avenues remain critical for victims seeking justice as the war continues with no comprehensive political settlement in sight.
The RSF has not immediately commented on the complaint, but the force has repeatedly rejected accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity made by rights organizations and international bodies during the conflict.
