A UN report details widespread abuse in detention facilities in Khartoum State due to ongoing conflict, with arbitrary detentions and torture by RSF and SAF affecting tens of thousands, including women and children. High Commissioner Volker Türk condemns these practices, urging immediate cessation and improved conditions. The report highlights severe human rights violations, including child guards and ethnic discrimination, raising serious concerns about enforced disappearances and ongoing abuses.
A recently published United Nations report sheds light on the alarming conditions of detention facilities in Khartoum State amid ongoing conflict in Sudan. The document highlights arbitrary detentions, torture, and inhumane treatment of detainees perpetrated by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Since the onset of the conflict in April 2023, tens of thousands, among them women and children, have faced imprisonment without charges in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, often with no family contact.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, expressed profound concerns regarding these practices, emphasizing that no individual should be deprived of liberty without due process nor subjected to torture or cruel treatment. The report, based on interviews with 34 former detainees, witnesses, and relatives, portrays a disturbing narrative of torture and neglect, including severe beatings and the deaths of detainees due to inadequate medical care.
Particularly troubling are the reports of child guards as young as 14 being employed by the RSF, with some detainees as young as 13 held with adults. Women detainees have reported experiences of sexual violence, and both the RSF and SAF facilities show patterns of ethnic discrimination against individuals, notably from Darfur and Kordofan regions. Disturbingly, testimonies reveal that individuals from African tribes suffer from more frequent acts of torture.
Additionally, the report highlights the issue of enforced disappearances, with cases where families are advised not to inquire about detained relatives. This lack of transparency raises significant concerns about detainee fates. The UN Human Rights Office notes similar patterns across Sudan, including areas in Darfur and Al Jazirah State.
The report also indicates recent transfers of detainees from known facilities to undisclosed locations, heightening the risks of human rights violations. The UN urges the cessation of arbitrary detentions and torture practices while calling for improved detention conditions and access to justice. The international community is encouraged to intervene to end these human rights abuses.
The UN report reveals a grave situation concerning detention practices in Khartoum State during the conflict in Sudan, highlighting arbitrary detentions, torture, and ill-treatment of detainees. The horrific realities, including the use of child guards and ethnic discrimination, underscore a critical need for intervention. The outlined recommendations aim to halt these abuses and ensure adherence to international human rights standards, necessitating immediate action from both local authorities and the international community.
Original Source: reliefweb.int
