Sudan’s Warring Factions Accused of Torture and War Crimes

A recent report by the human rights group, Emergency Lawyers, has accused the Sudanese Armed Forces and security officers of torturing detainees and operating  “execution chambers”. The group alleged that numerous arrests were made in the capital, Khartoum, and in the “worst cases”, some prisoners were found dead with evidence of torture.

The allegations come amid the ongoing civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a conflict that has killed tens of thousands over the past two years and displaced many more. The United Nations has classified the crisis as a “humanitarian catastrophe,” with more than 13 million Sudanese displaced. In March, the SAF claimed significant gains, announcing that it had regained control of Khartoum from the RSF. 

In a social media post, Emergency Lawyers accused the SAF of detaining captives in what it described as “inhumane conditions” and conducting sham trials overseen by security agents with no regard for justice. The group also claimed that some detainees were executed or died from torture. At the same time, the group highlighted atrocities committed by the RSF, including rape, sexual violence, arbitrary arrest, and ill-treatment of civilians. 

The report echoes the international condemnation that has followed both the SAF and RSF for their war crimes since the emergence of the civil war. In January 2025, the US accused the RSF of committing genocide. The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, stated further that the paramilitary group were to be held responsible for the murder of “men and boys – even infants” and sexual violence against women on ethnic grounds. In May 2025, the US imposed sanctions on Sudan over the reported use of chemical weapons in its civil war, a violation of its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention, which required it to have destroyed its stockpiles of chemical weapons. 

Reacting to the war crimes in Sudan in January 2025, the chairman of the United Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan, Mohamed Chande Othman, noted that both the SAF and RSF are responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians and the displacement of more than 13 million Sudanese, according to UN data. The mission disclosed to the media that both forces employ the use of heavy weaponry, targeting populated areas and have also weaponised aid by looting convoys, ultimately restricting their access to those in need. 

Sudan is not only bleeding from war crimes, but is expected to be hit by one of the worst outbreaks of cholera, which is reported to have already killed hundreds of people. The prominent medical charity, Doctors Without Borders, has disclosed that they have treated over 2,300 cholera patients within the past seven days. The organisation cited the water shortages and the deplorable conditions of their health care system as reasons behind the widespread outbreak. UNICEF has reported that not more than 640,000 children under the age of five stand at risk of disease in North Darfur, a state in the war-torn country.

The Emergency Lawyers’ findings add to the growing body of evidence that both warring parties have established a pattern of violence, leaving Sudan’s civilian population caught between the battle for power between two generals and trapped in one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.