Sudan: Why the Fact-Finding Mission Must Continue
“In Sudan, where civilians are deliberately targeted and war crimes multiply, the Independent Fact-Finding Mission stands as a voice for truth and justice. Its renewal is not a procedural formality, but a moral necessity. Every testimony gathered speaks for victims silenced by violence. Ending the mission would embolden perpetrators; extending it affirms that the world refuses silence, insists on accountability, and upholds humanity above the cruelty of war.”
by: Mohammed Abdallah
At the heart of Sudan’s tragedy-where war and destruction alternate, where wounds deepen, and where grave violations of human rights and international humanitarian law multiply-the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission emerges as a beacon of hope and conscience amid the darkness. Established by a resolution of the Human Rights Council in October 2023, this mission has never been a mere bureaucratic mechanism; rather, it embodies a global conscience that refuses to remain silent in the face of atrocities beyond imagination. As its initial mandate nears its end, renewing it has become an existential necessity that cannot be compromised. Sudan today does not need more silence, but a voice that speaks the truth, seeks justice, and breaks through the wall of international complicity and denial.
“War of Atrocities”-this is how the mission described the ongoing conflict in its latest report (1). The 5 September 2025 report left no doubt: civilians are the fuel of this war, paying the ultimate price with their blood and lives. The warring parties deliberately target civilians, committing widespread war crimes, some of which may amount to crimes against humanity, including persecution and extermination. The scale of documented violations imposes upon the international community a moral and legal responsibility from which it cannot escape. Today’s Sudan reflects the ugliest face of humanity when power is stripped of values, and it lays bare the fragility of the international order before the brute force of violence.
The mission has revealed shocking truths: direct attacks on civilians continue, while vital infrastructure-including medical centers, markets, food and water systems, and displacement camps-is systematically destroyed. This destruction is not only intended to harm civilians but to starve them and deprive them of the means to survive-acts that may amount to genocide. The mission also documented heinous crimes, including killing, torture, enslavement, rape, sexual violence, forced displacement, and persecution based on ethnic and political grounds. These are not cold statistics, but testimonies filled with pain-cries of people torn apart by unspeakable cruelty. Every testimony recorded, every piece of evidence gathered, is a resounding cry for justice and an indictment of injustice.
The continuation of the Fact-Finding Mission is an absolute necessity for several key reasons
- The humanitarian situation is catastrophic .. 12.1 million people have been displaced, and more than half of the population faces severe food insecurity. Amid the obstruction of humanitarian aid and the targeting of relief convoys, the need for an independent body to document violations and expose perpetrators is vital to ensure aid delivery and protect civilians. Moreover, the mission plays a central role in gathering and analyzing evidence according to the highest international standards, including victim testimonies and forensic material. This documentation is the cornerstone of any future accountability process. Without it, impunity will prevail, encouraging further violations.
- The mission’s mandate includes identifying perpetrators: By establishing the responsibility of individuals and entities, the mission strikes at the heart of impunity and ensures both individual and collective accountability.
- The mission provides practical recommendations to combat impunity and secure justice for victims: These are not empty words on paper, but a roadmap toward sustainable peace grounded in justice.
The painful irony is that the refusal of the de facto authorities in Port Sudan to allow the mission entry is, in itself, the strongest evidence of their guilt. The leadership knows their forces are implicated in unspeakable crimes, and what the world has seen so far is only a fraction of the truth. Their obstruction of the mission is a desperate attempt to suppress evidence and silence victims, a blatant declaration of fear from justice and truth.
I appeal to The peoples of states whose governments stand with the de facto authorities in Port Sudan and are expected to vote against the renewal of the mission to recognize the gravity of their governments’ stance. Any government that seeks to bury the truth and shield perpetrators of atrocities is unworthy of respect and is complicit in the crimes themselves. The peoples of those states must reject such complicity and stand with the Sudanese people in their ordeal-in defense of a humanity that knows no borders and admits no division.
The mission itself has called on the international community to act urgently: to impose an arms embargo, support the International Criminal Court, establish an independent judicial mechanism for Sudan, and activate universal jurisdiction to hold perpetrators accountable. These calls, echoed by human rights organizations and political groups demanding the mission’s extension for two more years, reaffirm that the work is far from over and that the mission’s presence is more essential than ever.
Renewing the mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission in Sudan is not a mere procedural step at the United Nations-it is a profound moral and humanitarian commitment. It is a clear declaration that the international community will not remain a bystander to atrocities, and that justice will remain a demand that does not expire. Truth is the most powerful weapon against oppression, justice is the foundation upon which nations are built, and humanity is the supreme value that must prevail above all else.
References:
(1) “Fact-Finding Mission: War Crimes Committed on a Wide Scale in Sudan | UN News.” news.un.org. September 5, 2025. https://news.un.org/ar/story/2025/09/1143301
Mohammed Abdallah
7 September 2025
