Amnesty International has called for the urgent deployment of an international civilian protection force in Sudan as violence continues to escalate between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), deepening what the organization describes as an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.
The organization said that a “strong and effective” protection force is urgently needed to deter attacks against civilians, safeguard women, children, and other vulnerable groups, and create safe conditions for the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Amnesty also launched a public petition urging people around the world to support the deployment of such a force in Sudan.
According to Amnesty, the conflict, which began in April 2023, has claimed tens of thousands of lives and triggered a severe humanitarian crisis. More than 10.5 million people have been displaced within Sudan, while 4 million have fled to neighboring countries, making Sudan the site of what the organization describes as the world’s largest displacement crisis.
The organization said that more than 30 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, while large parts of Darfur and Kordofan continue to face acute hunger.
Amnesty further stated that both government forces and the RSF have committed serious human rights violations since the outbreak of the conflict. These include deliberate attacks on civilians, ethnically targeted violence against non-Arab communities, sexual violence and exploitation against women and girls, forced recruitment and sexual abuse of children, as well as arbitrary detention, torture, and denial of access to medical care.
The organization also said that the RSF laid siege to the city of El Fasher in North Darfur for 18 months between 2024 and 2025, using siege tactics and starvation as methods of warfare. During this period, civilians were denied access to essential services, many were killed or injured in deliberate attacks, and others were subjected to sexual violence.
Amnesty International argued that the scale of the atrocities underscores the urgent need for an international protection force capable of preventing attacks on civilians, creating secure conditions for humanitarian access, and monitoring and publicly reporting violations committed against civilians and civilian infrastructure.
