Sudan: Two Years into Conflict, Freedom House Urges End to Violence, Accountability for Perpetrators

WASHINGTON-In recognition of the second anniversary of the ongoing conflict in Sudan between the regular Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Freedom House interim Copresident Annie Boyajian issued the following statement:

"As the war in Sudan enters its third year, Freedom House urges greater action from the international community to bring an end to the conflict and address the ongoing humanitarian crisis it has caused. We condemn the SAF and RSF's indiscriminate attacks on civilians and deliberate violence against human rights defenders, civil society groups, political opponents, and members of certain ethnic groups. The recent SAF takeover of Khartoum has featured an intense wave of attacks against targeted ethnic groups and political opponents. Accountability is urgently needed for the egregious human rights violations committed by both sides amid a war that has resulted in the displacement of nearly 14 million people and more than 150,000 deaths.

"Freedom House is concerned that the significant involvement of external actors is complicating peace efforts as SAF and RSF commanders compete for dominance. We are monitoring the role of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the RSF's main sponsor and business partner. Egypt, on the other hand, provides military and political support to the SAF. Turkey has also played a destabilizing role by supplying arms to the SAF. By backing opposing factions to advance their own strategic interests, these external actors fuel and prolong the conflict, each making peace an increasingly elusive prospect.

"We call on the United States and the European Union, in collaboration with the African Union, to increase pressure on the SAF and RSF to immediately end hostilities and return to civilian governance. We call on democratic governments to issue sanctions and public condemnations aimed at discouraging foreign support to the belligerent parties. Additional targeted sanctionsagainst the leaders of SAF and RSF and their businesses should be levied, and arms embargoes on the country should be rigorously enforced.

"Moreover, we strongly recommend the inclusion of civilian representatives from Sudan's prodemocracy movement in any negotiations, especially women and youth, who have been at the forefront of the fight for justice and accountability. The Trump administration should reinstate and fully staff a special envoy to prioritize this effort and peace negotiations.

"We honor the immense bravery and resolve of the Sudanese people in the face of this horrific conflict. A durable peace-which is essential for the security and prosperity of the broader region-will require recognizing and prioritizing their well-being. We urge the international community to support comprehensive investigations into human rights violations, working through domestic and international institutions to hold perpetrators accountable and deliver justice for victims."

Background:

After military commanders and a prodemocracy protest movement ousted the repressive regime of longtime president Omar al-Bashir and his National Congress Party in 2019, Sudan was ruled by a transitional government in which military and civilian leaders agreed to share power until national elections could be held. The process was thrown into turmoil in late 2021 when the military leadership dissolved the transitional government in a coup and cracked down on the ensuing prodemocracyprotests. In April 2023, hostilities broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group originally formed by al-Bashir, and the fighting quickly spread across the country. The ongoing conflict has been characterized by extreme levels of violence and catastrophic human rights abuses.

In the latter half of 2024, the SAF launched a series of coordinated offensives, reclaiming key territories in and around Khartoum, the capital, for the first time since the RSF took control of the city at the onset of the war. Fighting in Khartoum State intensified in 2025. The SAF retook additional areas around the capital, drove RSF forces outof Omdurman, recaptured a vital oil refinery, and regainednear-total control of Bahri. In February, SAF forces endedthe RSF's two-year siege of Obeid, a strategic city with railway connections to Khartoum.

In western Sudan, the RSF has continued its attacks on local rebel forces, SAF personnel, and civilians. El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, remains the center of fightingbetween the SAF and its allies and the RSF. RSF targeting of non-Arab ethnic groups in Darfur has raised concerns of genocide. The humanitarian crisis in Darfur persists, with both sides accused of impedingand looting aid deliveries. The Trump administration's decision to freeze humanitarian aidthreatens to worsen malnutrition and famine in the region.

The ongoing conflict has resulted in at least 150,000 deaths and has displaced nearly 14 million people, creating a dire humanitarian crisis and a breeding ground for human rights violations, including ethnically motivated atrocities, sexual and gender-based violence, and unprecedented attacks against human rights advocates and civic activists.

Sudan is rated Not Freein Freedom in the World 2025and Not Freein Freedom on the Net 2024.

Freedom House is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to create a world where all are free. We inform the world about threats to freedom, mobilize global action, and support democracy's defenders.