The Darfur Victims Advocacy Organization, in collaboration with the Kanabi Conference and the London-based Centre for Truth and Knowledge, on Thursday launched a human rights report that documented alleged atrocities against civilians in the Kambo Taiba area in Sudan’s Al-Jazira State. It warned of escalating violence and persecution based on ethnic identity and skin color.
The report, titled “Identity, Colour and Violence in Sudan,” was unveiled at a conference in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, attended by representatives of 54 Sudanese and African human rights and civil society organizations, alongside eyewitnesses, survivors and families of victims.
It documents alleged killings, summary executions, the burning of homes, looting of property and forced displacement during a series of attacks on the area in January 2025.
Adam Musa Ishaq, widely known as “Obama”, director of the Darfur Victims Advocacy Organization, told Radio Tamazuj that the attacks took place between 9 and 14 January 2025.
He accused the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and allied groups, including the Sudan Shield Forces led by Abu Aqla Keikal and the Al-Bara bin Malik Brigades, of responsibility for the attacks.
“The violence claimed the lives of 43 civilians, most of them children and elderly people, while 134 houses were set ablaze and numerous properties and economic enterprises were destroyed,” Musa stated. “Approximately 5,000 families were forcibly displaced, with the attackers deploying around 25 military vehicles, heavy weapons, artillery and drones during the assaults.”
The report documents three successive waves of attacks involving artillery bombardment, arson, armed incursions and summary executions, alongside the destruction of residential properties and the looting of approximately 5,000 head of livestock.
It also acknowledges discrepancies in the casualty figures presented in different sections of the report and calls for independent verification to establish the final death toll.
The report places the violence in Kambo Taiba within a broader pattern of alleged abuses against Kanabi settlements – agricultural workers’settlements – across Al-Jazira State, documenting forced displacement affecting 18 villages.
It warns that attacks targeting communities based on ethnic identity and skin colour could amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity, while raising serious concerns about possible ethnic cleansing.
Musa said the Kanabi communities, whose members have contributed to agricultural production in the Gezira Scheme for generations, have long endured systemic deprivation of essential services, including water, electricity, education and adequate housing.
He added that these communities continue to face discrimination and threats of eviction from settlements they have inhabited for decades.
Musa called for formal recognition of the communities’ residential and land tenure rights, official registration of their settlements, and guaranteed access to essential public services.
He also urged the authorities to ensure that Kanabi communities are meaningfully included in development and post-war reconstruction plans.
The report calls for independent investigations into the alleged violations and accountability for those responsible, alongside measures to protect witnesses and survivors and provide reparations to affected families.
It further urges the adoption of safeguards to prevent the recurrence of violence against civilians based on ethnic identity or skin color.
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