Sudan: Country Report The situation in South Kordofan and Blue Nile – An Update (3rd edition with addendum) March 2021 (COI included between 1st May 2019 and 16th December 2020) Commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Division of International Protection. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the authors. © Asylum Research Centre (ARC), 2021 ARC publications are covered by the Create Commons License allowing for limited use of ARC publications provided the work is properly credited to ARC and it is for non-commercial use. ARC does not hold the copyright to the content of third party material included in this report. Reproduction or any use of the images/maps/infographics included in this report is prohibited and permission must be sought directly from the copyright holder(s). Feedback and comments Please help us to improve and to measure the impact of our publications. We’d be extremely grateful for any comments and feedback as to how the reports have been used in refugee status determination processes, or beyond. Thank you. https://asylumresearchcentre.org/feedback/ Please direct any questions to [email protected] Cover photo: © Asuwan Masae/shutterstock.com 2 CONTENTS Explanatory Note ..................................................................................................................... 8 Sources and databases consulted............................................................................................ 10 List of Acronyms ..................................................................................................................... 15 1. Background information ........................................................................................ 17 1.1. Geographical information ..................................................................................... 17 1.2. Overview of the security situation ......................................................................... 18 1.2.1 Tribal/communal violence .................................................................................... 23 1.3. Peace negotiations/ceasefires ............................................................................... 25 2. Actors involved in the conflict ............................................................................... 31 2.1. Government forces ................................................................................................ 31 2.1.1. Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) ............................................................................. 31 2.1.2. Rapid Support Forces (RSF) .................................................................................. 33 2.1.3. ..... National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) / General Intelligence Service (GIS)................................................................................................................................ 36 2.1.4. Law enforcement ................................................................................................. 37 2.1.5. Paramilitary militias ............................................................................................. 37 2.1.6. Popular Defence Forces (PDF) ............................................................................. 39 2.1.7. Military service .................................................................................................... 40 2.1.8. Defection from government forces ..................................................................... 40 2.1.9. Forced recruitment of young men....................................................................... 40 2.1.10. Human rights abuses committed & impunity enjoyed by government forces . 41 2.2. Armed opposition groups ...................................................................................... 51 2.2.1. Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army – North (SPLM/A-N) ..................... 52 2.2.2. Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) ......................................................................... 55 2.2.3. Human rights abuses committed by armed opposition groups .......................... 56 3. Security situation: Impact of the conflict on civilians .............................................. 57 3.1. Aerial bombing campaigns and ground attacks ..................................................... 57 3.1.1. South Kordofan .................................................................................................... 58 3 3.1.2. Blue Nile ............................................................................................................... 58 3.2. Casualties caused by aerial bombing campaigns and ground attacks ..................... 59 3.2.1. South Kordofan .................................................................................................... 59 3.2.2. Blue Nile ............................................................................................................... 59 3.3. Unexploded ordinance (UXO) ................................................................................ 59 3.3.1. Two Areas ............................................................................................................ 59 3.3.2. South Kordofan .................................................................................................... 60 3.3.3. Blue Nile ............................................................................................................... 60 3.4. Forced displacement ............................................................................................. 60 3.4.1. South Kordofan .................................................................................................... 61 3.4.2. Blue Nile ............................................................................................................... 63 3.5. Humanitarian access and freedom of movement ................................................... 63 3.5.1. Two Areas ............................................................................................................ 63 3.5.2. South Kordofan .................................................................................................... 65 3.5.3. Blue Nile ............................................................................................................... 66 4. Rule of Law and access to justice ........................................................................... 67 4.1. Local conflict resolution mechanisms ..................................................................... 67 4.2. Arbitrary arrest and detention ............................................................................... 69 4.3. Unlawful or disproportionate punishment for crimes ............................................. 70 4.4. Death penalty ....................................................................................................... 72 4.5. Detention conditions ............................................................................................. 73 4.5.1. Torture in detention ............................................................................................ 75 5. Human rights situation: civil and political rights ..................................................... 80 5.1. Freedom of expression, association, and assembly ................................................. 80 5.1.1. Political opposition parties, activists and dissidents ........................................... 80 5.1.1. Lawyers as political opposition members and activists ...................................... 83 5.1.2. (Suspected) members of the SPLM/A-N .............................................................. 84 5.1.3. Individuals (perceived to be) associated with or supportive of the SPLM/A-N .. 85 5.1.3.1. Two Areas............................................................................................ 85 5.1.3.2. South Kordofan ................................................................................... 85 5.1.3.3. Blue Nile .............................................................................................. 87 5.1.3.4. Nuba (South Kordofan) ....................................................................... 87 4 5.1.3.5. Other ethnic groups ............................................................................ 94 5.1.3.6. Christians............................................................................................. 94 5.1.4. Freedom of the Media ......................................................................................... 94 5.1.4.1. Treatment of critical journalists, citizen-journalists, bloggers, etc .................. 97 5.1.5. Civil society organizations and civil society activists, including women’s rights activists .......................................................................................................................... 98 5.1.5.1. Demonstrators, protestors and persons speaking out ..................... 100 5.2. Freedom of religion ............................................................................................. 105 5.2.1. Christians ........................................................................................................... 108 5.3. Discrimination against ethnic minorities .............................................................. 112 5.3.1. Two Areas .......................................................................................................... 113 6. Women and girls ................................................................................................