Open Letter from the Sudan International Human Rights Organization (SIHRO)

To the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces

Date: May 2025

We, the Sudan International Human Rights Organization (SIHRO), submit this letter to you in deep sorrow, bitterness, and pain. Our wounds are overwhelmed with oppression, anger, exhaustion, and disappointment over the tragedy unfolding in our beloved Sudan. Since the onset of the devastating and senseless conflict in April 2023, our country has been drowning in a Sudanese bloodbath—destroying lives, shattering dreams, and extinguishing every hope for peace, security, and stability.

Despite numerous peace initiatives—from dialogue platforms to regional and international efforts—all have failed. Despair has taken hold, leaving our people to endure a slow, horrifying nightmare as violence, killings, racism, regionalism, and hate spread from all warring parties. Every poor Sudanese is forced to pay the ultimate price: death, preceded by humiliation and suffering.

If members of our once-proud national army now execute civilians based solely on their identity, conducting extrajudicial killings and stomping on the faces of defenseless people, denying them even the chance to present their innocence—what does that make us? If a Sudanese female officer, who earned her rank and rose as a ‘Kandaka’ to stand beside men in defending the nation, now brandishes a knife, calling for the murder of fellow Sudanese from Darfur and Nyala simply because they have darker skin and are from the western region, this is not just a moral failure—it is incitement to racism and regional hatred.

If mere suspicion of association with the Rapid Support Forces leads to the execution of a man without investigation or trial, then who defines the term ‘elimination’? Is it a military act or an act of militia? How can a Sudanese officer command his soldiers to eliminate a fellow citizen without evidence? Such scenes are intolerable—they offend reason, morality, faith, and human conscience.

SIHRO has obtained clear video evidence documenting the following violations:

Direct field executions of unarmed civilians by uniformed military personnel, without any legal procedures, in flagrant violation of the right to life and international humanitarian law.

• The extrajudicial killing of a civilian who clearly denied any affiliation with armed groups, an act considered among the gravest crimes under international law.
• Issuance of explicit military orders calling for indiscriminate killings, as documented in one of the videos—indicating direct incitement to commit crimes against civilians and revealing a dangerous, systematic pattern within certain military units.

Regarding legal and moral responsibility, we affirm that these are not isolated individual violations. Rather, they reflect a consistent and organized pattern. Full responsibility must be borne by:

• The individuals and forces who carried out these actions.
• The commanders who planned and issued such orders.
• The authorities that failed to act decisively to prevent these crimes or hold the perpetrators accountable.

This responsibility is not only ethical—it is direct legal responsibility, governed by international law and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which defines such crimes as not subject to any statute of limitations.

Accordingly, we demand the following:

1. The immediate and unconditional cessation of all violations against civilians.
2. An independent and transparent international investigation under the supervision of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
3. Legal and military accountability for all those involved—whether perpetrators, inciters, or those who concealed the crimes.
4. A clear and binding commitment by the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to uphold international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions.

The failure of dialogue platforms has only prolonged the suffering. We urge all parties to cease hostilities immediately and engage seriously in dialogue aimed at achieving a comprehensive ceasefire—an essential step toward restoring civilian governance and rebuilding a democratic path that fulfills the aspirations of the Sudanese people. The continuation of war only deepens divisions and tears the social fabric of the nation.

We call upon the international community to intensify its efforts to facilitate dialogue between the warring parties, provide diplomatic and humanitarian support, and impose sanctions on those fueling the conflict. We also call for strong support for accountability mechanisms. Sudan must not be forgotten, and its people must not be left to face this catastrophe alone. Sudan stands at a crossroads.

The continuation of violence will bring more destruction. But peace can open the door to healing, reconciliation, and unity. We appeal to you, in the name of the Sudanese people who yearn for safety and dignity, to choose the path of peace. The responsibility lies with you to end this nightmare and to begin rebuilding a Sudan rooted in justice, stability, and security.

Sudan International Human Rights Organization (SIHRO)