Human Rights Watch has urged the United Nations and African Union member states to begin planning the deployment of a civilian protection mission in Sudan, where millions are displaced and face famine after 18 months of brutal armed conflict. This call follows a report from UN Secretary-General António Guterres, outlining steps that member states should take to safeguard civilians and press the warring Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) to halt ongoing atrocities.
The UN Security Council is set to discuss Guterres’ report on October 28, as fighting intensifies in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, and in El Gezira state, endangering civilians who are at risk of deliberate attacks, torture, summary executions, and widespread sexual violence against women and girls.
Guterres highlighted the urgent need to support local responders, enhance international investigations, and cut off arms supplies to the warring factions. A recent Human Rights Watch investigation found that both the RSF and SAF have acquired new weapons and military equipment from companies based in China, Iran, Russia, Serbia, and the UAE, fueling further atrocities.
While Guterres acknowledges that current conditions make it difficult to deploy a UN peacekeeping force, he emphasized that waiting for ceasefire negotiations or ideal conditions is not an option, as civilians urgently need protection.
Human Rights Watch and the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan have echoed the call for an international protection mission. Former Malawian President Joyce Banda stressed the complexity of deploying such a mission but argued that the scale of Sudan’s crisis and the demands of its civilians require immediate action.
Human Rights Watch also called on the UN Security Council to expand the current arms embargo on Darfur to include all of Sudan, impose sanctions on those responsible for war crimes, and ensure accountability for perpetrators.
The international community’s neglect of the suffering of Sudanese civilians must end, with Human Rights Watch urging that the time for decisive action is now.