The Sudanese Alliance for Rights vehemently condemns the heinous acts of extrajudicial killings and widespread looting committed by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and allied groups in the Al-Salha neighborhood and the southern countryside of Omdurman between 20 and 24 May 2025.
On 20 May 2025, the SAF and allied groups began deploying in the Al-Salha neighborhood and surrounding areas after the withdrawal of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who had controlled the region since the outbreak of the war on 15 April 2023. By 21 May, the SAF had taken full control of the area.
What followed was a wave of unimaginable violence: civilians including children, women, and the elderly—were executed by shooting, slaughtering, and being run over. Entire families were killed in front of their neighbours. In parallel, homes were looted at gunpoint, and personal belongings stolen. The attacks were reportedly carried out under the pretext that the victims supported the RSF, yet many of those killed had no affiliation with any armed group and had lived in the area long before the conflict began. There are strong indications that these acts were ethnically and racially motivated.
These acts constitute grave violations of both international humanitarian law and international human rights law, including:
- The Geneva Conventions, which prohibit the targeting of civilians and extrajudicial killings during armed conflict.
- The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Sudan is a party, and which guarantees the right to life and protection from arbitrary deprivation of life.
- The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, given the reported ethnic and racial motives behind the killings.
Nationally, these actions contravene Sudan’s constitutional obligations to uphold the dignity and rights of all its citizens and constitute criminal offences under Sudanese law.
We call for:
- An immediate, independent, and impartial investigation into the atrocities committed in Al-Salha.
- Accountability for those responsible for these war crimes and crimes against humanity.
- Urgent protection measures for civilians across Sudan, especially in conflict-affected regions.
- The international community, including the United Nations and African Union, to exert pressure on all warring parties to cease attacks on civilians and ensure justice for victims.
The Sudanese Alliance for Rights stands in solidarity with the families of the victims and all Sudanese civilians caught in the crossfire of this devastating conflict. We renew our call for peace, justice, and the protection of fundamental human rights across Sudan.
Sudanese Alliance for Rights
26 May 2025