Human Rights Watch (HRW) has issued a critical report detailing grave human rights abuses committed by Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF)-affiliated security and military forces in areas under their control. The report, released yesterday, asserts that these forces have arbitrarily detained, tortured, and ill-treated civilians, actions that may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity under international law.

According to HRW, civilians were frequently detained on suspicion of collaborating with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). These suspicions were often based on factors such as ethnicity, perceived political affiliation, or involvement in humanitarian work, particularly in regions recently retaken by the SAF. Mohamed Osman, Sudan researcher at HRW, emphasized that "The Sudanese Armed Forces and its allies have led a campaign of fear and retaliation against people they label collaborators... because of their identity, humanitarian work, or political activity."

The human rights group documented widespread abuses across several states, including Khartoum, El Gezira, El Gedaref, Red Sea State, and Northern State, with incidents occurring between June 2025 and February 2026. Witnesses pointed to "security cells" comprising Military Intelligence, General Intelligence, and the recently sanctioned El Baraa Ibn Malik Brigade as the entities responsible for carrying out these arrests and abuses.

HRW's findings highlight severe mistreatment, including detainees being held incommunicado, with families often denied any information regarding their loved ones' whereabouts. In numerous instances, individuals were forcibly disappeared. The report tragically documented at least two deaths in custody directly linked to torture. A particularly harrowing account came from the brother of a 25-year-old man forcibly disappeared in February 2026, who recounted, "They came into the house and started beating him badly... 'your brother is not coming back.'" A police officer also described a woman accused of RSF links being violently dragged from her home, "brought her out half naked, beating her, slapping her."

The report also shed light on the plight of women, with hundreds reportedly detained on allegations of RSF collaboration. Alarmingly, at least 25 of these women have been sentenced to death. While Sovereignty Council President and Commander-in-chief of the SAF Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan ordered the release of approximately 400 women, many still remain in detention without due process. One detained woman conveyed her profound distress, stating, "I felt so degraded, as if I was not a human anymore."

Despite the severity of the allegations, the Attorney General has rejected most claims, though confirming one ongoing case related to a death in custody. In light of its findings, HRW has urged for the immediate release of unlawfully detained individuals and has called for independent access for human rights monitors to all detention sites in Sudan.