21 human rights entities demand an immediate halt of Ethnic Violations
against the Canabi residents in Al Jazeera
Twenty ones (21) human rights entities announced that the agricultural camps, known locally as “Canabi,” in Al-Jazeera state, have become the scene of serious violence and widespread violations of human rights and International Humanitarian Law.
The human rights entities shared in a joint statement that the Canabi residents are being subjected to “Systematic killings, enforced disappearances, destruction of homes, as well as forced displacement; bear the hallmarks of an ethnic cleansing campaign.”
They emphasized that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and its allied tribal militias, particularly the (Sudan Shield Forces), bear direct responsibility for the crimes committed against the Canabi residents.
According to the statement, reports indicate that more than (160) Kambo have been destroyed or burned, and their residents’ property, including money, jewelry, cars, crops, food supplies, and more than (5,000) heads of livestock, have been looted since January (2025).
The statement confirmed that these attacks resulted in the starvation and impoverishment of thousands of Canabi residents (civilians), forcing them to flee to cities such as Sennar, Kosti, El-Gedaref, and Al-Faw.
The signatory human rights entities and organizations called for an immediate halt to all killings and ethnic violations, an end to enforced disappearances, and the deliberate destruction of Canabi in Al-Jazeera state. They also called for holding all those responsible for these crimes accountable and compensating the victims as well as their families.
They called on the African Union (AU) Special Envoy on the Prevention of Genocide and Other Mass Atrocities in Africa, Adama Dieng, and the UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Virginia Gamba, to conduct “An urgent investigation into the crimes committed against the Canabi residents in Al-Jazeera state, and to determine whether these crimes amount to genocide.”
The statement indicated that the majority of the victims are agricultural workers belonging to tribes that hail from the regions of Darfur and Kordofan, indicating that their numbers could potentially amount millions “Amidst ongoing attempts to force them to vacate the region due to their ethnic or geographic origins.”
In their statement, the human rights entities explained that the history of these groups -targeted by the Sudanese Army and its allied militias- dates back to the (1920s), when British colonialism encouraged them to settle around Al-Jazeera Scheme and work in the agricultural field.
The human rights entities called on the Sudanese Army to assume its responsibility to protect all citizens without discrimination, stressing the need to immediately disband all tribal militias and halt the distribution of assault firearms to civilians throughout the country.
According to the statement, they also called for holding accountable all those who promote hate speech and ethnic incitement, in addition to ensuring they are brought to justice for their role in fueling violence and crimes of ethnic targeting.
The following are the entities and organizations that signed the statement:
o Abwab Organization for Development and Social Peace, Kampala.
o African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies, Banjul.
o African Organization for Rights and Development, Kampala.
o Afrika Jom Centre, Senegal.
o Al Fajr Organization for Peace, Development and Justice, Nairobi.
o Canabi Congress, Sudan.
o International Center for Trade and Development (ICTD) – Centre du Commerce International pour le Développement, Conakry.
o Darfur Victims Support Organization, Kampala.
o Democratic Monitor for Transparency and Rights, Kampala.
o Human Rights Institute of South Africa, Johannesburg.
o Independent Commission for Human Rights in Norh Africa, Morocco.
o Interfaith International, Geneva.
o Lifeline Relief and Rehabilitation Organization, Kampala.
o Nubian Center for Peace and Democracy, Kampala.
o African Meeting for the Protection of Human Rights – Rencontre Africaine pour la Défense des Droits de l’Homme, Dakar/Geneva.
o African Migration Training and Research Network – Réseau de Formation et de Recherche sur les Migrations Africaines, Switzerland.
o Sudan Knowledge Centre, Switzerland.
o Sudanese Refugees Advocacy Group, Australia.
o Sudanese Women Union, Khartoum/Nairobi.
o The Agricultural Workers Initiative for Rights and Development, Kampala.
o Ubuntu Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, Kampala.
