#National News

ACHPR, AlWAFY hold briefing on human rights violations in Sudan

Oct 25, 2024, 10:59 AM | Article By: Jankey Touray

The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), in collaboration with a Sudanese organisation dubbed AlWAFY, recently held a briefing on the human rights violations happening against the Sudanese people.

Mohammed Abaker, a Human rights defender, said: “There are a large number of Sudanese people in different countries as refugees from Egypt, Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan, Central Africa, and Dushanbe. These are people who are facing serious issues,” he said during the briefing session which was held at the conference centre.

At Dushanbe alone, he said, “there are more than 700,000 refugees according to the several Security Council for Refugees. Also, these refugees face a large number of challenges which include humanitarian situations.”

Dushanbe, he continued, has been considered a refugee camp since 2003, adding: “The camp which was established in 2003 during the war in Darfur, is faced with a lack of humanitarian aid, lack of clean water and among others.”

For her part, Ms Nussiba Mohammed Omer, a human rights lawyer, stated: “There are still cases recorded but not sufficiently documented and are not included in our reports. These cases involve sexual violence or violence against women which is the main motivation of the Sudanese soldiers from all sides.”

“Women are the most vulnerable group as far as the war in Sudan is concerned. This is as a result of violations that have been committed against them such as rapes, forced marriages, sexual exploitation, among others,” she postulated. 

She revealed: “There are cases of forced marriages between one woman and more than one man.”

The state, she claims, is “struggling due to the collapse of legal and civil institutions, which is resulting in increasing violations. Notably, the murder of a woman in Al-Ghanouza was documented by various sources including the military.”

“Again, the current violent occupations are marked by inhumane conditions, lacking basic necessities which include the lack of proper prisons and guards. Individuals are often accused of terrorism or collaboration with secret services without sufficient evidence, further complicating the situation.”

Other speakers included Mohammed Bera and Mohammed Badawi who all spoke on the rights violations currently happening in Sudan.