The undersigned organizations once again draw attention of the world community to the tragedy faced by residents of the agricultural camps, locally known as al-Canabi, in El-Geizra State, central Sudan. These camps are currently the scene of pernicious violence and massive violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. In this connection, we refer to the joint NGO statement issued on 15th January 2025, entitled “Ethnically motivated extra-judicial executions in Sudan.”
The systematic and targeted killings, enforced disappearance, destruction of human habitats and displacement of residents of the agricultural camps carry the characteristics of an ethnic cleansing campaign. The victims are civilians, mainly agricultural workers (Tama, Massalit, Bargo, Fur, Gimir, Marareet, Zaghawa, Misseriya, Rizigat and a host of other tribes from the greater Kordofan and Darfur region). The ancestors of these people were encouraged by the British, Sudan’s then-colonial rulers, to settle and till the land in El-Gezira scheme in the 1920s. The number of potential victims of this campaign could reach millions of people to be targeted in a terror campaign to force them to leave the area because of their ethnic or regional origins. Reports indicate that since January 2025, at least 160 camps were destroyed or burned down and their inhabitants were looted of valuables – cash, jewelry and vehicles. Stored agricultural produce, food items and more than 5000 cattle (sheep, goats and cows) were also stolen. Thousands of victims of this violence were starved and rendered destitute to force them to flee to Sinnar, Kosti, Gedarief, Alfao and other towns and places.
The Sudanese army and security forces and tribal militia groups allied to them, mainly the Sudan Shield Forces, are collectively responsible for the crimes committed against the camps’ residents.
Evidence on the ground suggests that the conflict in Sudan risks degenerating into a full-blown war that polarizes the Sudanese people along ethnic lines. Hate speech and calls for ethnic violence and racist crimes against certain Sudanese citizens because of their race or regional origins, in a multiethnic and multicultural country, are a recipe for a humanitarian tragedy of great proportion. We strongly urge the African Union Special Envoy on the Prevention of Genocide and other Mass Atrocities Mr. Adama Dieng and the Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General on the Prevention of Genocide Ms. Virgina Gamba to study the nature of violence meted out to the residents of the agricultural camps in El-Gezira State. We call upon them to determine whether the commission of such massive and serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law on ethnic and racial origin, if not prevented or halted, might lead to genocide.
We further demand that:
- The security forces and their allied militia groups end ethnically motivated killings, enforced disappearances, the destruction of the agricultural camps in El-Gezira State. All individuals that ordered the commission of such crimes should be held accountable and the victims and their families should be compensated.
- The army assumes its responsibility to protect all people in Sudan without discrimination. It should disband all tribal militia groups and immediately halt the distribution of assault firearms to civilians in any part of the country.
- All publicly known scaremongers and race-baiting individuals should be apprehended and held accountable for their role in propagating hate speech, ethnic hatred and targeted killings.
Signed:
– Abwab Organization for Development and Social Peace, Kampala.
– African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies, Banjul.
– African Organization for Rights and Development, Kampala
– Afrika Jom Centre, Senegal.
– Al Fajr Organization for Peace, Development and Justice, Nairobi
– Canabi Congress, Sudan.
– Centre du Commerce International pour le Développement, Conakry.
– Darfur Victims Support Organization, Kampala.
– Democratic Monitor for Transparency and Rights, Kampala.
– Human Rights Institute of South Africa, Johannesburg.
– Independent Commission for Human Rights in Norh Africa, Morocco.
– Interfaith International, Geneva.
– Lifeline Relief and Rehabilitation Organization, Kampala.
– Nubian Center for Peace and Democracy, Kampala.
– Rencontre Africaine pour la Défense des Droits de l’Homme, Dakar/Geneva.
– Réseau de Formation et de Recherche sur les Migrations Africaines, Switzerland.
– Sudan Knowledge Centre, Switzerland.
– Sudanese Refugees Advocacy Group, Australia.
– Sudanese Women Union, Khartoum/Nairobi.
– The Agricultural Workers Initiative for Rights and Development, Kampala.
– Ubuntu Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, Kampala.
For more information, please contact
– Mr. Abdelmageed Haroun at: haroun@aford.org, Tel/WhatsApp +256 7 621 97 247 – Mr. Gefar Mohamedain Abdin (Arabic), Tel/WhatsApp + 256 769391011 and +211 9 28 933359
