Sudan Flag from UXWing
After a year at war, Sudan is witnessing unprecedented violence and targeted attacks on civil society and local responders, with dozens of activists and local volunteers arrested, threatened and prosecuted in several states during in recent weeks. We reiterate our call for ceasefire, restoration of communications and cease of attacks against health facilities.
The states of Sennar, Algadaref, and River Nile are targeting activists who support local communities amid approaching famine. Lawyers, journalists, and local humanitarian workers were prevented from working, their homes were raided, and family members were detained or threatened.
The clamp down on civil society and the local response to the humanitarian crisis in Sudan is increasing the suffering of millions of people in need of life saving support provided by local civil society initiatives. Since December 2023, the state of Sennar witnessed rising attacks on activists and humanitarian volunteers supporting displaced people from Aljazeera state. At least 6 local volunteers were detained by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in Senja and Sennar according to the Emergency Lawyers recent report on the situation of activists in the state.
In north Kordofan, lawyer Talab Alkatim was arrested from the Alobied market by the military intelligence in the city on 16 April 2024. The military intelligence in Senja of Sennar state raided the house of lawyer Bakri Almahi and arrested him on 13 April 2024. Journalist Samar Sulaiman received threat messages on her phone accusing her of working with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) due to her humanitarian work supporting IDPs in Kasala, according to the Sudanese Journalists’ Union in a statement on 24 April 2024. On 30 April, SAF intelligence in Algadref arrested two activists again after their release earlier in the month. In Alfaw town, 4 activists were arrested on 6 May by SAF intelligence following facebook posts calling for the end of the war.
In March 2024, at least 6 volunteers operating communal kitchens in Sharq Elneil of Khartoum were arrested by RSF for days and questioned about their work and movements in the area. The communal kitchens, which provide essential meals to hungry families trapped in conflict areas, were forced to close for days.
Local activists and civil society initiatives responding to the humanitarian crisis in the states under SAF control such as Kasala, Algadaref, White Nile and other states are facing increasing restrictions to their movement and ability to enter the hosting locations of displaced people. Movement of aid and supplies to these hosting areas are delayed by prolonged processes to obtain permissions from local security and intelligence officers. This delay is combined with the threatening and harassment of activists.
In RSF controlled areas, local responders are working under an extremely risky environment. They are regularly subjected to questioning and arrest. Supplies and aid movement is complicated by both parties and subjected to multiple checkpoints and confiscation of part of shipments or causing delay of movement.
In areas like north Darfur and South Kordofan, volunteers and local initiatives are walking everyday on a very thin line to support extremely vulnerable communities. They are working between control areas and fighting lines of multiple armed groups and actors which is increasing the challenges of delivering services and at the same time, remaining safe.
Northern and eastern states under SAF control have issued emergency decrees and regulations restricting rights to association and peaceful gathering. In the River Nile state, the governor dissolved the ‘Services and Change Committees’, which are the service provision arm of the grassroots mobilisation bodies known as resistance committees. Restrictions on freedom of expression and movement were imposed through these decrees in several states in the last 4 months, including Algadref, Red Sea state, Kasala, and River Nile state.
The shutdown of communication services and internet access in most of the hot zones in Sudan is endangering the lives of local responders and the humanitarian operations they are leading. Local groups were using the highly expensive Star Link internet to communicate and access digital banking services to fund their operations and movement, but the company recently announced the potential shutdown of the service in several countries including Sudan. This step will impose complete communication blackout on large parts of Sudan dependent on this service.
Local responders face immense challenges to remain safe and mitigate the risks of their daily operations. They are lacking funding and support for protection, secured movement and evacuation in times of danger.
While local responders work courageously as the only lifeline in areas closed to international aid groups, they are risking their own safety to deliver services to desperate people in need of life saving support.
The lives of millions of Sudanese depend on the response on the ground, led by local civil society initiatives. The rising attacks on local responders and civil society initiatives is part of the deliberate obstruction of humanitarian aid that led to the approaching famine in Sudan.
Therefore, we reiterate the following demands on :
The warring parties:
On States and the international community:
Signatories:
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Participants at the strategic workshop on the operationalisation of the Protection Mechanism for Defenders held on 24 and 25 April in Bamako, Mali, adopted an action plan to strengthen the national mechanism's capacity to protect defenders.
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