25 August 2026 — A coalition of human rights and civil society organisations meeting in Geneva has called for independent investigations into conflict-related sexual violence, attacks on civilians and alleged chemical weapons use in Sudan. At the event “Women’s Condition and Violence in Wartime: Focus on the Sudan Crisis”, speakers stressed that accountability cannot be selective and must apply to all armed actors, including the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, and the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF. The event was jointly organised by the International Coalition for Human Rights, the European Association for the Defence of Minorities, The Youth Future Alliance and Fundamental Rights Organisation Postversa.
UN venue cancelled at the last minute
The meeting was originally scheduled to take place inside the United Nations premises in Geneva. According to the organisers, the booking was cancelled at the last minute. They expressed concern about possible political interference and what they described as a selective approach to allegations of abuses committed in Sudan. The organisers said that credible accountability is impossible if violations attributed to one party are examined while those attributed to another are ignored. The cancellation coincided with the UN Security Council’s meeting on Sudan on 24 August 2026.
Rather than postponing the event, the co-organisers found a replacement venue at the Club Suisse de la Presse within hours and added remote participation. The move allowed the programme to proceed with a panel addressing the impact of the war on women, girls, healthcare, education and civilian life.
The war in Sudan began in April 2023. UNHCR reported in April 2026 that approximately 14 million people had been forced to flee since the start of the conflict, including around 9 million displaced inside Sudan and 4.4 million who had crossed borders. The agency has warned that women and girls face heightened risks of sexual violence, exploitation and abuse, while survivors often struggle to access medical, psychosocial and legal assistance.
Panel examines the impact on women and civilian life
The panel brought together Ramon Rahangmetan, Co-founder of Circle of Sustainable Europe; Manel Msalmi, President of EADM and International Affairs Advisor to Members of the European Parliament; Andy Vermaut, Vice President of EADM; Abdel-Rahim Grein and Dr Mohamed Ali of ICHR; and Elisabeth Saba of TYFA. Their presentations addressed the collapse of maternal healthcare, sexual violence as a weapon of war, the military use or destruction of hospitals and schools, drone and aerial attacks on residential areas, and reports concerning the alleged use of chemical weapons by the SAF in Omdurman in 2024.
Ramon Rahangmetan discussed the European Union’s response to the crisis. He argued that an effective policy must confront extremist influences within Sudan’s power structure and take seriously allegations involving the SAF, including allegations relating to chemical weapons. He said that civilian protection and evidence-based accountability should guide the international response.
Manel Msalmi called on the United Nations, the European Union and the International Criminal Court to investigate violence against women in Sudan. She urged the use of the UNiTE campaign and the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative to provide support for Sudanese survivors of sexual violence, famine, displacement and possible chemical exposure. Msalmi insisted that accountability must apply equally to all armed parties in Sudan and specifically referred to both the SAF and the RSF.
Call for humanitarian access and protection
Andy Vermaut addressed General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan directly. He said that leadership should not be measured by the territory a force controls, but by the lives that leadership protects. Vermaut called for safe access to humanitarian assistance, healthcare and education, warning that commitments made in a period of danger will ultimately be measured by the protection delivered to civilians.
Abdel-Rahim Grein presented two ICHR reports which the organisation says it submitted to the United Nations concerning alleged SAF chemical weapons use and its consequences for civilians. Referring to Omdurman in 2024, he described the alleged effects as grave and warned that the collapse of health infrastructure leaves civilians without essential care. Grein said that more than 80 per cent of health facilities in conflict zones had been destroyed or militarised. He also addressed the Mecca Pact. ICHR calls for a no-fly zone, an OPCW-supported fact-finding commission, a possible ICC referral, emergency education measures, targeted sanctions and a full arms embargo covering all parties across Sudan.
The United States announced measures in May 2025 against the Government of Sudan over its use of chemical weapons in 2024. The specific allegations presented during the Geneva event require independent and impartial examination. The event’s speakers framed their appeal as a demand for a credible process capable of establishing the facts and identifying responsibility, rather than as a substitute for judicial findings.
Sexual violence must not be treated as isolated acts
Dr Mohamed Ali linked the assault on women’s dignity to decades of Islamist rule in Sudan. He argued that sexual violence in Darfur, the Nuba Mountains and the current war should not be treated as isolated individual acts, but should be investigated as potential war crimes and crimes against humanity. He highlighted the denial of education to girls in Darfur and Kordofan, as well as allegations of indiscriminate SAF bombardment of residential areas, markets, hospitals and schools.
Elisabeth Saba traced the role of Sudanese women from the front line of the 2019 revolution to the dangers they have faced since the outbreak of war in 2023. She referred to documentation by UN investigators on rape, gang rape, forced marriage and sexual slavery, including against children. Saba was explicit that responsibility must be examined on all sides. RSF fighters and allied forces have been implicated in allegations, she said, but SAF personnel and allied forces have also been implicated. She further warned that famine places female-headed households in extreme vulnerability, forcing women into impossible survival choices. Saba referred to findings by the UN Fact-Finding Mission that atrocities in Darfur and Kordofan bore hallmarks of genocide.
Joint appeal to international institutions
The co-organisers call on the UN, EU, ICC and OPCW to open independent investigations into sexual violence and alleged chemical weapons use, to ensure that there are no immunities for perpetrators, and to provide survivor-centred medical, psychological and economic support. They also call for humanitarian access, civilian protection, a no-fly zone, the restoration of girls’ education, and the criminalisation of the military use of schools and hospitals. Their final demand is for Sudanese women to have guaranteed and meaningful participation in peace negotiations, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1325.
Tags: Sources: Joint press release by ICHR, EADM, TYFA and Fundamental Rights Organisation Postversa, 25 August 2026; UNHCR, 10 April 2026; United States Department of State, 22 May 2025.
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