Responding to the Human Rights and Humanitarian Crisis Caused by the Ongoing Armed Conflict in the Sudan

A/HRC/RES/57/2View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the Human Rights Council, under agenda item 2 Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General, published in 2024.

What other versions does this mandate have?

4 versions · 2023–2026

This is an older version — the most recent is A/HRC/RES/63/2

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2026	A/HRC/RES/63/2	Responding to the human rights and humanitarian crisis caused by the ongoing armed conflict in the Sudan	4,017	—Compare
2025	A/HRC/RES/60/3	Responding to the human rights and humanitarian crisis caused by the ongoing armed conflict in the Sudan	3,740	59%Compare
2024	A/HRC/RES/57/2	Responding to the human rights and humanitarian crisis caused by the ongoing armed conflict in the Sudan	3,056	26%Compare
2023	A/HRC/RES/54/2	Responding to the human rights and humanitarian crisis caused by the ongoing armed conflict in the Sudan	2,896	–

What subjects does this mandate have?

8 subjects

Accountability Fact-Finding Missions Human Rights Human Rights in Armed Conflicts Human Rights Violations Humanitarian Assistance Humanitarian Emergencies Sudan

What’s in this document?

21 operative paragraphs

Reiterates its strong condemnation of the continuing armed conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces and their associated and allied forces and all reported violations of international humanitarian law and all violations and abuses of human rights committed in this context, and echoes the similar condemnations expressed by the Secretary-General, the Security Council, the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, other relevant regional and subregional bodies, individual States and civil society organizations;

Expresses its grave concern at the ongoing dire humanitarian and human rights crisis in the Sudan, including famine conditions at Zamzam camp and immediate risk of famine across the country, with 25.6 million people facing high levels of acute food insecurity, at phase 3 or higher according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, including 755,000 people facing famine and 8.5 million people at emergency levels, as conditions have continued to deteriorate since the start of the current armed conflict on 15 April 2023, which has displaced more than 10 million people, including more than 2 million people into neighbouring States;

Reiterates its call for an immediate and complete ceasefire by all parties, without preconditions, the establishment of an independent monitoring mechanism of the ceasefire, the rehabilitation of critical basic infrastructure, a negotiated and peaceful resolution to the conflict on the basis of inclusive, Sudan-owned and Sudan-led dialogue, with the active participation of Sudanese civilian actors, including women, and the recommitment of all parties with the people of the Sudan to return to its transition towards civilian government;

Calls for the full implementation of the Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan, requests the parties to authorize and ensure immediate, safe and unhindered humanitarian access, including cross-border and cross-line access, and condemns the deprivation by all parties to the conflict of essential humanitarian assistance, across several areas of the Sudan, and the attacks on and looting of humanitarian convoys, warehouses and aid agencies, including by the Rapid Support Forces and other affiliated militias;

Welcomes the decision of the Sudanese authorities to reauthorize humanitarian access through the Adré border crossing from Chad and calls for these measures to be sustained permanently to ensure that personnel, goods and supplies reach those in need, removing any bureaucratic impediments and operational conditions that unduly obstruct the movement of humanitarian personnel, goods and supplies;

Condemns the violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of human rights reported in the Darfur region of the Sudan, including shelling across civilian neighbourhoods, resulting in civilian deaths, injuries and the destruction of towns and critical infrastructure by both sides, and acts of sexual and gender-based violence, ethnically motivated attacks on civilians and looting by members of the Rapid Support Forces and allied militia, and expresses its deep concern at the clear parallels between these developments and previous violations and abuses in Darfur;

Expresses its grave concern at reported acts of sexual and gender-based violence, the indiscriminate use of force against civilians by both parties to the conflict, indiscriminate aerial bombardments by the Sudanese Armed Forces and artillery shelling by both parties resulting in civilian deaths and the destruction of civilian homes and critical infrastructure, the illegal recruitment and use of children in armed conflict and sexual violence against children, principally by the Rapid Support Forces, and mistreatment, torture and life-threatening conditions faced by detainees held by both parties;

Condemns the renewal of attacks by the Rapid Support Forces in El Fasher and the shelling of Abu Shawk and Salaam camps and calls upon the Rapid Support Forces to immediately withdraw its forces from El Fasher and upon all parties to immediately de-escalate tensions, comply with applicable international humanitarian law in the conduct of evacuation and ensure the protection of civilians and civilian objects;

Strongly deplores the reported killings, attacks, arbitrary detention and acts of intimidation and retaliation targeting humanitarian and health workers, human rights defenders, including women human rights defenders, community leaders, public servants and local government workers, journalists and other media workers, students, lawyers and civil society actors, and targeting members of international organizations and the diplomatic community in the Sudan, which has a direct impact on the capacity of the international community to respond to the human rights and humanitarian crisis in the Sudan;

Urges all parties to the conflict in the Sudan to respect and protect civilians, including those who are humanitarian workers and health workers, and civilian infrastructure, and to allow civilians to move freely to gain access to the basic services and humanitarian assistance that they need;

Strongly urges all parties to take immediate and specific measures to put an end to and prevent further acts of sexual and gender-based violence, including rape, sexual slavery and sexual exploitation and abuse, by members of their respective forces or allied groups, and to ensure access to timely and quality services for survivors, and stresses the importance of providing survivor-centred responses to acts of sexual and gender-based violence and ensuring accountability for those who commit such acts;

Urges the United Nations, together with the African Union, to accelerate consideration of practical options for enhancing the protection of civilians in the Sudan, in close collaboration with relevant stakeholders and in full recognition of the obligation of the Sudan to act in accordance with international humanitarian law and to protect its population from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity;

Commends Sudanese and regional relief and aid workers and local responders operating in the Sudan and along its borders for their bravery and work in challenging and dangerous circumstances to provide life-saving support to communities and calls for their protection, and also commends neighbouring countries that have hosted and provided assistance to refugees fleeing ongoing violence and recalls the importance under international law of respect by all States for the principle of non-refoulement;

Stresses, once again, that ensuring accountability for violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of human rights is central to any solution to the ongoing crisis in the Sudan, as well as to efforts to address the root causes of the armed conflict and prevent further instability in the Sudan, and underscores the urgency of initiating prompt, full, independent, impartial, transparent and credible investigations into all alleged abuses and violations by all parties to the conflict, to end impunity and hold accountable those responsible through robust and credible criminal justice processes, while noting the important role that the International Criminal Court can play in this regard;

Decides to extend the mandate of the independent international fact-finding mission for the Sudan for a period of one year;

Encourages the fact-finding mission to give due regard to ensuring the complementarity of its efforts with those of other actors, including independent national accountability efforts and regional investigations;

Requests the fact-finding mission to provide the Human Rights Council with an oral update on its work at its fifty-ninth session and a comprehensive report at its sixtieth session, to be followed by an interactive dialogue, and to present the report to the General Assembly at its eightieth session;

Requests the High Commissioner, with the assistance of the Expert on human rights in the Sudan, to submit to the Human Rights Council at its sixty-first session a comprehensive report on the situation of human rights in the Sudan and on violations and abuses committed by all parties to the conflict, to be followed by an interactive dialogue with the participation of the High Commissioner and the Expert;

Requests the Secretary-General to provide all the resources and expertise necessary to enable the Office of the High Commissioner to provide such administrative, technical and logistical support as is required to implement the provisions of the present resolution;

Calls upon the parties to the conflict to cooperate fully with the fact-finding mission in the performance of its work, and calls upon the international community to support fully the implementation of its mandate;

Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

Reissued for technical reasons on 29 January 2025.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What other versions does this mandate have?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

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