Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2025, published 114th ILC session (2026)

Sudan

Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) (Ratification: 1957)
Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (Ratification: 2021)

The Committee welcomes the ratification by Sudan of the Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labour Convention, 1930. Noting that the first report of the Government has not been received, the Committee requests the Government to provide detailed information on the application of the Protocol, in accordance with the report form adopted by the Governing Body.

Articles 1(1), 2(1) and 25 of the Convention. 1. Forced labour and sexual slavery in the context of armed conflict. The Committee notes the Government’s information, in its report, that ongoing fighting and war, particularly in Darfur, between the Government and rebel forces, have caused killings, abductions, sexual violence and displacement of civilians, but that no records of such are currently available. The Government states that while all arrangements have been made for the establishment of the Transitional Justice Commission, the conditions of the war have hindered its establishment, as well as that of the compensation and reparation institutions, the victim support and assistance units, and the reintegration of victims of abductions. It further indicates that that the Transitional Authority in Sudan has set up a number of investigation committees, but that their results have not yet been announced.

The Committee further notes, from a December 2024 Report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Sudan Country Office on the siege of El Fasher, North Darfur since May 2024, that in the context of the non-international armed conflict ongoing in the Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023 and of the siege of El Fasher by the RSF since May 2024, the OHCHR has received testimonies in relation to the mobilization of civilians by the Joint Forces and the SAF to join the fighting. The mobilization of civilians for combat, often occurring along ethnic and tribal lines, was also documented in the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation of human rights in the Sudan of 20 January 2025. Furthermore, the Committee notes, from the report of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan of 5 September 2025, that the Mission reports having received an overwhelming volume of information and evidence on sexual violence, including abductions and sexual slavery, with members of the RSF identified as the primary perpetrators and members of the SAF also implicated. While predominantly directed at women and girls, some victims were men and boys. The RSF systematically carried out abductions in areas under their control for sexual exploitation purposes. The Mission found that Sudan remained unwilling and unable genuinely to conduct thorough, prompt and impartial investigations and prosecutions for crimes committed in the current conflict (A/HRC/60/22).

While acknowledging the complexity of the situation prevailing on the ground and the presence of armed conflict and armed groups in the country, the Committee is bound to express its deep concern at the recourse to forced labour practices by both armed forces and groups, such as the mobilization and abductions of civilians for the purpose of sexual exploitation and sexual slavery. The Committee urges the Government to take immediate and effective measures to ensure that no one is subjected to any form of forced labour, including abductions and the forced mobilization of civilians for sexual exploitation and sexual slavery. It further requests the Government to take immediate measures for the protection and assistance of victims, including to the extent possible through the establishment of the Transitional Justice Commission.

Recalling that Article 25 of the Convention provides that the imposition of forced labour shall be punishable by penalties that are strictly enforced, the Committee requests the Government to take the necessary measures to ensure that in-depth investigations are undertaken, alleged perpetrators are prosecuted and sufficiently dissuasive sanctions imposed on those who exact any form of forced labour. It requests the Government to provide information on the progress made in this regard, including the results obtained by the investigation committees set up by the Transitional Authority, and the results achieved.

2. Trafficking in persons. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that, despite the war, it is working hard to continue its work and to put in place all the necessary measures for the protection of victims of trafficking in persons. In this regard, the Committee notes in particular the Government’s information that: 1) the Anti-Human Trafficking Law of 2014 is enforced through courts which are especially established for this purpose, and information on judicial decisions and convictions of traffickers will be provided in its next report; 2) the National Committee for Combating Trafficking (NCCT) continues to carry out its work to combat trafficking in persons, but that it is encountering difficulties and challenges in the context of the ongoing war; and 3) despite these circumstances, an emergency plan was prepared in 2024 to enhance ongoing activities to prevent trafficking in persons.

The Committee notes, from the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation of human rights in the Sudan of March 2024, that credible reports were received by the High Commissioner regarding trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and forced prostitution, by both parties to the conflict and their allied groups, which involved at least 118 victims (98 women, 1 man, 18 girls and 1 boy). These incidents took place across various locations (Khartoum, South Darfur, North Darfur and in other states), and the perpetrators identified included both men dressed in RSF uniforms or affiliated with the RSF, and members of the SAF (A/HRC/55/29).

The Committee requests the Government to strengthen its measures to combat trafficking in persons and to ensure the protection of victims. It requests the Government to provide information in this regard, including on: (i) the emergency plan to prevent trafficking in persons and its implementation; (ii) the action undertaken by the NCCT, the results achieved and the challenges it is facing; and (iii) the number of perpetrators identified, investigated and prosecuted in cases of trafficking in persons, as well as on any judicial decisions and sentences handed down in such cases. Lastly, the Committee once again requests the Government to provide information on any measures taken to ensure protection and assistance to victims of trafficking, as well as the number of victims who have benefited from such assistance.

The Committee is examining another matter in a request addressed directly to the Government.