The Disappeared: A Missing Link in Sudans General Struggle
By Al-Asmai Bashari
The numbers of missing persons in Sudan have increased significantly in the period after the October 25 coup of 2021 until today, particularly among young people and minors. The Missing initiative has reported daily cases of disappearances, attributing this to the absence of a legal judicial entity to which families can turn in case of loss.
The experience of the disappeared from the June 2019 sit-in, and the lack of decisive and serious action taken towards it, led to an increase in the numbers of the disappeared without accountability or responsibility.
During the rule of the previous regime under Omar al-Bashir, families would turn to the security apparatus, and within 72 hours, information would be provided whether their family members were detained within the apparatus or not. However, sometimes there would be no information provided about the missing person or cooperation in searching for them.
Amidst the current war conditions, with multiple armed entities on the streets such as the security apparatus, special forces, Rapid Support Forces, and armed movements, along with the deployment of various forces, information is scarce and the ability to pin the blame on a specific entity is limited.
Thuwiba Al-Jalad, an activist with the Missing initiative, believes that the solution is to exert pressure on the police to take responsibility for the missing persons and provide information about them. She adds that this requires significant pressure from lawyers, journalists, human rights organizations, and communication with the families of the missing persons to learn about the details of their disappearance and the steps taken by the families in this regard. Otherwise, the cycle of the disappeared will worsen, opening doors to revenge and systematic crimes, according to her.
On the other hand, Osman Al-Basri, the legal advisor for the families of the December 2018 revolutions missing persons and a member of the Sudanese Group for Victims of Enforced Disappearance, stated in a press conference on May 20th of the previous year that the number of officially recorded missing persons in the December revolution is over 30 individuals, all of them males. After the October 25 coup, 7 males went missing, including a minor. After the outbreak of the war on April 15th of the previous year, the number of missing persons reached 275, whose data was collected but not recorded due to the absence of judicial and police agencies.
According to statistics, 7 females, 12 male minors, 2 foreign males, and 247 adult males, including three with disabilities, went missing. There are still significant numbers that have not been reached, and some have been documented through the Missing initiative. Concerning the return of some missing persons, Al-Basri mentioned that there are three stages. In the first stage, some missing persons returned without providing any testimonies, fearing for their lives. In the second stage, no one returned. In the third stage, some missing persons returned without providing direct testimonies, and blame is directed towards both parties in the conflict.
Sudan signed the Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance in 2021. However, the convention was not included in Sudans laws due to the political instability in the country. The jurisdiction for cases of foreign disappearances in Sudan lies with the Sudanese courts, with notifications to their embassies. Missing and forcibly disappeared individuals face numerous challenges, including the lack of legal protection through filing disappearance reports with judicial authorities, as well as the closure of prosecutorial and police departments due to the ongoing conflict, making it difficult for families and citizens to communicate and receive information about their missing relatives.
Human rights organizations have called on official judicial entities to establish an official committee consisting of the Attorney General and the Ministry of Interior to receive reports of disappearances, ensuring it is in a secure location, easily accessible and contactable through simple means for receiving reports.
In the latest report released by the Missing initiative, they reaffirmed their commitment to searching for the missing persons from the April war and making it a public issue. According to the latest statistics from the initiative, the number of missing persons as of May 20, 2023, has risen to 229, including civilians, military personnel, and citizens from other countries. This number is subject to increase or decrease due to the expansion of the conflict, scarcity of information, fluctuation of communication methods, and the difficulty of communication and movement in the search for the missing persons.
Previous reports from the initiative focused on the violations committed by the Rapid Support Forces, who arrested civilians and forcibly concealed them in their camps and headquarters, exposing them to danger. The initiative confirmed that some of those who returned to their families were detained by these forces.
