Rights groups condemn global inaction as Sudan war nears two years, urge EU steps
August 31, 2025 (BRUSSELS) – Leading human rights organizations on Monday condemned the European Union (EU) and the international community for failing to protect civilians during two years of devastating conflict in Sudan, urging Brussels to take concrete action ahead of an upcoming EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting.
The war has killed tens of thousands and created the world’s largest displacement crisis, the groups said in a joint statement.
In the statement addressed to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and member state foreign ministers, groups including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch (HRW), the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS), and Free Press Unlimited (FPU) criticised the lack of meaningful international intervention since war broke out in April 2023.
The conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023 has killed tens of thousands of people and injured many more, according to UN estimates and rights groups. The United Nations reports that the war has triggered the world’s largest displacement crisis, forcing nearly 13 million people from their homes by late March 2025. This includes approximately nine million internally displaced people (IDPs) within Sudan – 53% of whom are children according to the NGOs – and nearly four million refugees who have fled to neighbouring countries, often living in dire conditions, figures from the UN refugee agency UNHCR show.
“Those still in Sudan face killings, summary executions, injury, rape, gang-rape, sexual slavery and other forms of sexual violence, torture and enforced disappearances and widespread looting – all amounting to war crimes and some of which may also amount to crimes against humanity,” the coalition stated.
The groups highlighted the targeting of civilians, children caught in crossfire, rampant sexual violence, and the resurgence of ethnically motivated attacks, particularly in Darfur, raising alarms over parallels to the atrocities committed two decades ago. They also condemned deliberate obstruction of humanitarian aid, attacks on aid workers and local volunteer groups known as Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs), and the targeting of journalists and human rights defenders by both warring parties.
Criticizing failed diplomatic efforts, the organizations called for Sudan to be a key agenda item at the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting scheduled for April 14.
The joint letter urged the EU and its member states to use all available tools to demand an immediate end to violations, including indiscriminate attacks and sexual violence, and to ensure perpetrators are held accountable. Key demands include pressing for unhindered humanitarian access, restoration of communication services often cut by warring parties, increased emergency funding for aid in Sudan and neighbouring countries, and specific support for survivors of sexual violence.
The coalition also called for robust support for international justice mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court (ICC) and United Nations (UN) fact-finding missions. It demanded adherence to the UN arms embargo on Darfur, urging accountability for violators and calling on all third countries, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to halt weapons transfers to warring parties.
Furthermore, the groups stressed the need to protect Sudanese refugees by providing safe pathways and refraining from returns, while also supporting Sudanese civil society and journalists, including those forced into exile.