Sudan: Rights Coalition condemns ‘forced demolitions’ in Al-Jazira

The Sudanese Rights Coalition has strongly condemned what it described as “forced demolitions and organized displacement” carried out by local authorities in Al-Jazira State, denouncing the actions as selective, discriminatory, and targeting displaced communities from the states of Kordofan, Darfur, and Blue Nile.

In an official statement, the coalition claimed that the campaign began on June 25, following a notice issued on June 19 by the Executive Authority for the Protection of Public Lands in the state. The notice cited a plan to remove “illegal housing” and improve urban planning.

However, the coalition alleged that the demolitions were being carried out selectively, targeting long-established neighborhoods inhabited for decades by displaced families who had previously received basic public services. Meanwhile, other areas with similar legal status were reportedly spared.

The coalition held the authorities responsible for the worsening humanitarian situation, particularly given that the demolitions are being executed during the rainy season, rendering relocation nearly impossible and further exacerbating the vulnerability of affected families, with no alternatives or compensation provided.

The statement further accused certain local groups – self-identified as “indigenous residents” – of publicly calling for the expulsion of residents from marginalized areas, under the pretext of their alleged support for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

These inciteful narratives, the coalition said, have transformed administrative decisions into tools of “collective punishment and ethnic discrimination.”

According to the coalition, such violations amount to forced displacement and breach both Sudan’s constitutional and international obligations, including Article 29 of the Interim Constitution, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the Kampala Convention, and the two International Covenants on Civil and Economic Rights.

The coalition called for an “immediate suspension of demolition orders” and an end to the forced evictions, demanding an independent investigation into what it termed “discriminatory targeting” and the systematic destruction of homes and livelihoods. It also urged relevant UN and African bodies to intervene swiftly to protect affected communities and prevent further violations.

The statement concluded by affirming that the use of state administrative mechanisms to justify collective punishment “constitutes a direct assault on the dignity and security of entire communities,” stressing that such practices “can never be justified under any legal or political pretext.”