This report presents a comprehensive picture of the security, human rights, and humanitarian situation in the five Darfur states (West, Central, North, South, and East Darfur) during the month of January 2026, within a context marked by escalating violence, deterioration of the rule of law, and the widening scope of violations against civilians, alongside limited and unstable humanitarian responses and local community efforts attempting to fill the gaps left by a collapsed state.
The Darfur states witnessed the continuation of military operations using drones, armed clashes, and ambushes, in addition to widespread insecurity within cities and along roads connecting localities. These developments resulted in large numbers of civilian deaths and injuries, destruction of private property, and increasing internal displacement, particularly in North, West, and Central Darfur. Incidents of armed robbery, organized looting, and random shooting were repeated, especially in markets and residential neighborhoods, with the use of both heavy and light weapons, and the emergence of criminal patterns linked to motorcycles and combat vehicles.
The report documented a widespread pattern of serious human rights violations, including:
- Arbitrary arrests and forced interrogations, particularly targeting men, civil activists, emergency room workers, and traders.
- Kidnapping and ransom demand as a systematic method, with detainees threatened with transfer to notorious prisons.
- Torture and ill-treatment inside detention facilities, and the deprivation of detainees from basic legal guarantees, including the right to know the charges against them, contact their families, and access lawyers.
- Gender-based violence, including attempted rape and sexual assaults, particularly in shelter centers and displacement areas, amid near-total impunity.
The information received indicated a serious deterioration in prison conditions, particularly in Zalingei, Nyala, and Daqreis prisons, where detainees suffer from overcrowding, lack of healthcare, poor sanitation, food shortages, and the spread of diseases, leading to rising mortality rates, especially among the elderly and those with chronic illnesses. These conditions constitute a blatant violation of the minimum international standards for the treatment of prisoners.
Despite the extension of the opening of the Adre crossing and the subsequent entry of humanitarian assistance, the humanitarian response remained insufficient compared to the growing scale of needs. Many areas continue to face access difficulties, particularly El
Fasher and parts of West and Central Darfur. The report also recorded the outbreak of epidemics, foremost among them measles, amid a weakened health system, collapsed medical infrastructure, and shortages of staff and medicines. In contrast, emergency rooms, community initiatives, and national organizations played a central role in providing essential services, despite being subjected to administrative and security pressures and restrictions.
The political and administrative environment was marked by instability, with decisions issued to dissolve and reconstitute certain bodies, and interventions in humanitarian work, including the closure of offices of national organizations without sufficient transparency. There was also the increasing use of traditional and informal mechanisms to address cases of a legal and human rights nature, which weakened citizens’ trust in justice and entrenched impunity. Despite the risks, civil society, youth, and women’s initiatives continued their activities in relief, peacebuilding, health, education, and combating hate speech. However, these efforts face increasing challenges, including arrests, defamation, lack of protection, and an unfavorable working environment.