By Dr. Qadim Ahmed Qadim

The world can no longer turn a blind eye to what is happening in Sudan. Since the outbreak of war in April 2023, the Port Sudan forces have transformed into a war machine systematically targeting civilians.

Indiscriminate bombing of residential areas, starvation of the population, and the forced displacement of millions of civilians are all documented facts that collectively constitute a weighty case to be brought before international courts and bodies, placing those responsible in direct confrontation with international humanitarian law.

International human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have documented dozens of incidents in which Port Sudan forces targeted densely populated civilian areas.

In Khartoum, Omdurman, and Bahri, shells fell on popular markets, hospitals, and schools without any distinction between military and civilian sites.

Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocol I explicitly prohibit indiscriminate attacks that do not distinguish between civilians and combatants. What is being documented on the ground in Sudan constitutes a clear violation of these provisions.

Starvation is no less serious than bombing. Certain areas have been besieged, either through blockades or by cutting off supply routes, depriving residents of food, medicine, and fuel.

The World Food Programme and several humanitarian organizations have documented cases of severe famine in North Darfur and parts of Gezira and Khartoum states.

The forced starvation of civilians is a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. When food supplies are used as a tool of pressure or collective punishment, legal responsibility falls directly on the leaders who issued those orders or turned a blind eye to them.

The numbers alone are enough to illustrate the scale of the disaster. The United Nations estimates that Sudan is experiencing one of the largest displacement crises in modern history, with more than ten million internally displaced persons, in addition to millions more who have sought refuge in neighboring countries. On the ground, tragic figures emerge from Blue Nile State alone, where nearly 60,000 people were displaced in just a few months in 2026, almost half of them children.

These are not cold statistics; they represent entire families uprooted from their land and homes, and children deprived of education, healthcare, and security.

The testimonies of fleeing families add depth to these figures. A mother from Omdurman lost her son under the rubble of a house bombed at night; a farmer from Blue Nile was forced to flee, abandoning his land and crops after military forces burned his village; and a ten-year-old boy carried his infant sister, walking for hours in search of his family. These are not exceptions, but examples of thousands of documented cases.

In light of these realities, a solid legal basis is being established for genuine international accountability. First, the UN General Assembly referred the Sudan file to the Security Council, and the International Criminal Court has already issued arrest warrants for Sudanese officials on charges of war crimes and genocide. This precedent proves the international prosecution of Sudanese leaders.

Second, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights stipulate that a state has an obligation to protect its citizens from violations, and when the state itself is the perpetrator, the international community has a responsibility to intervene through available mechanisms.

Third, the UN Human Rights Council can establish independent commissions of inquiry, a path taken by many countries that have experienced similar crimes.

What is happening in Sudan is not an internal matter. It is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, an ongoing crime for which millions of civilians are paying the price every day.

60,000 displaced people in a single state in just a few months is a message that needs no interpretation.

The international community is facing a true test in holding those responsible for the displacement, indiscriminate bombing, and targeting of civilians accountable.

Dr. Qadim Ahmed Qadim is a Political analyst