Eight Sudanese civil society groups have jointly requested a thorough investigation into the rising instances of enforced disappearances in Sudan. They have directed their appeal to the UN Human Rights Council in a letter, particularly emphasizing the Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED).

According to the civil society organizations, the number of missing individuals has surged to 577 since the outbreak of hostilities between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in mid-April 2023. They have attributed these disappearances primarily to armed groups associated with the warring parties.

In their plea to the UN Human Rights Council, the civil society groups have urged the establishment of an international committee comprising independent experts to investigate these cases of enforced disappearance.

Amira Othman, a member of the Sudanese Group for Victims of Enforced Disappearance, clarified the campaign’s objectives in an interview with Radio Tamazuj. She stated, “The aim of the campaign is to foster broad solidarity with the victims and their families. We intend to exert pressure on the conflicting parties to secure their release.”

She emphasized, “The campaign is focused on drawing attention to the 751 missing individuals in the country since the incident at the protesters’ sit-in camp near the military headquarters in Khartoum, those who were officially registered.”

Othman added, “Our primary goal is to provide support to the families of the victims and to intensify pressure on the Sudanese army and the RSF in order to ascertain the fate of the disappeared and put an end to this tragic situation.”

Othman further elaborated that many of the missing persons are enduring extremely dire humanitarian conditions, with some not even officially classified as war prisoners.

She pointed out, “We have received reports that many of the detainees are enduring extremely challenging humanitarian circumstances. This is particularly true for women who are detained in various detention centers and subjected to degrading tasks.”