Joint statement: Sudan has suffered in silence for over 500 days

Last week marked 500 days since civil war broke out in Sudan in April 2023. Since then, more than 10.7 million people have been internally displaced, making it the worst displacement crisis in the world. Over half the population—an estimated 25.6 million people—are facing acute hunger. The humanitarian impact of the Sudan conflict is beyond catastrophic, and yet mostly absent from the global debate. While some refer to Sudan’s conflict as a “forgotten war,” it is far more accurately defined as a deliberately silenced crisis. 

As the risk of mass ethnic cleansing and genocide is looming, we, the undersigned organizations and individuals, urge the international community to break the silence on the tragedy of people in Sudan, and take active steps to ensure they have access to a secure and reliable internet and digital communications tools critical to their survival.

Since the beginning of the conflict, the country’s telecommunications infrastructure has been severely damaged by warring parties. The situation further deteriorated in February 2024, when the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized control over internet service providers (ISPs) in Khartoum, triggering the telecommunication blackout that continues to this day. 

This shutdown has also severely reduced access to, and availability of, conflict-related data, which has led to the Sudan crisis being downplayed in international indexes and has in turn impacted the funding and resources available to avert further disaster. 

Local authorities, communities, aid groups, and even warring parties have tried to restore some level of connectivity, resorting to a variety of tools including the controversial Starlink. However, such tools are expensive luxuries that are unavailable to all, and most communities remain cut off amid ongoing attacks on terrestrial infrastructure.

Sudan is also a harrowing testimony of how warring parties can weaponize the full extent of the communication cycle; from manipulating information and using hate speech online to polarize communities and promote ethnic violence, to imposing shutdowns as a military strategy and hoarding connectivity resources to sustain the war economy. 

As already denounced by the #KeepItOn coalition and almost 100 civil society organizations, the ongoing communication blackout has severely hampered already underfunded humanitarian coordination mechanisms, and has facilitated the commission of atrocities by increasing chances for anonymity and impunity. 

This month, we call on all States convening in New York at the UN General Assembly to discuss the humanitarian impact of shutdowns in Sudan, as well as initiatives and strategies being explored to bypass these blackouts. 

After more than 500 days of brutal conflict, we reiterate our previous call to reactivate telecommunication services, stop the collective punishment of already affected and disconnected communities, amplify the voices of victims and their advocates, and hold those who perpetrate atrocities accountable. 

We, therefore, call on:

• The warring parties to immediately stop targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, including internet and telecommunications infrastructure;

• The humanitarian community to integrate strategies for providing, maintaining, and restoring connectivity for affected people and communities, as well as protection for digital rights and against digital harms, into their operations and funding programs;

• The international community to pressure warring parties and their international supporters into complying with international humanitarian law (IHL) and human rights norms, including respecting the integrity and neutrality of civilian telecommunication infrastructure, and to encourage institutional and private donors to fund connectivity solutions;

• Internet technology companies, telecommunications providers, and the organizations representing their interests to support ISPs in restoring and maintaining connectivity for all; 

• All satellite internet companies to develop reliable, transparent, accessible, and inclusive support programmes for humanitarian actors and affected communities, and ensure adequate support by experienced human rights and humanitarian teams, in accompaniment to sales and account teams; and

• Media organizations to raise wider awareness of the Sudan crisis and platform the voices and testimonies of people in Sudan, who are currently being silenced and overlooked.

Signatories

Organizations

Individuals

• Alfred Bulakali, Good governance, Human Rights and Social Justice  Activist
• Husam Eldin Musmar Ali, GM at Green Hands development 
• Maha Tamabl, Good Governance, Rule of Law, and Transitional Justice Researcher and Professional Practitioner