International Day Message | June 18, 2026
On the International Day to Combat Hate Speech, declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 2021, the Sudan Rights Watch Network reaffirms its unwavering commitment to actively combating hate speech. This commitment entails working to create safe civic spaces where mutual respect prevails within balanced political, social, and cultural dialogue.
This day comes as Sudan enters its fourth year under the weight of a war that erupted on April 15, 2023, leaving tens of thousands dead, millions displaced and refugees, and leading to a worsening famine and systematic crimes targeting civilians on ethnic grounds.
In this context, hate speech is no longer merely a symptom of a deeper crisis; It has become a weapon in its own right, preceding, justifying, and fueling the cycle of killing, in blatant violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which criminalizes direct and public incitement, and the Rabat Plan of Action on the prohibition of advocacy of national or religious hatred.
According to the SRWN, a qualitative shift has occurred since the early days of the conflict in the nature of this discourse within the public sphere: from disinformation campaigns and political polarization to overt incitement to murder, displacement, and genocide on ethnic and regional grounds. Social media platforms and the media outlets of the warring parties have been systematically employed to disseminate dehumanizing terminology, explicit calls for the extermination of specific Sudanese groups, particularly indigenous communities and peoples, and the glorification of sexual violence and rape, especially as a weapon of war. The violations documented by the network in El Geneina, Nyala, Zalingei, parts of Khartoum, and Darfur were not isolated incidents, but rather part of a preceding wave of digital hate that created a conducive environment for them. This constitutes strong legal evidence of the genocidal intent required to define these crimes under international law.
Therefore, addressing hate speech is not a human rights luxury to be postponed until after a ceasefire; it is an immediate requirement for protecting civilians, an early warning mechanism for genocide, and a way to break the cycle of polarization that perpetuates war day after day. Based on this, the network presents the following demands:
First: Parties to the Armed Conflict
SRWN demands that all parties, particularly the Rapid Support Forces, the army, armed movements, and all other parties involved in the conflict, immediately and unconditionally cease all forms of incitement, issue binding directives to their leaders and members, dismantle propaganda units that disseminate hate speech, and hold accountable all those proven to be involved in promoting discourse that incites violence.
Second: The International Community and the UN System
SRWN calls upon the Security Council, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the African Union to establish an independent international monitoring, documentation, and accountability mechanism to address incitement crimes in Sudan. This mechanism should be integrated into or complement the existing UN and African Union fact-finding missions. It also calls for targeted sanctions against individuals and entities involved in inciting hatred, and for holding those responsible accountable before national and international courts, considering incitement an integral element of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and crimes amounting to genocide.
Third: Social Media Platform Companies
SRWN calls on Meta, X, TikTok, and Telegram to comply with their responsibilities under international human rights law by promptly responding to reports concerning inciting Sudanese content, dismantling the organized networks that produce hate speech, strengthening moderation mechanisms in local Sudanese languages and dialects, and issuing regular transparency reports on their actions in this regard.
Fourth: Sudanese Civil and Political Forces
SRWN appeals to all segments of Sudanese civil society, particularly human rights networks, trade unions, professional, community, humanitarian, and research organizations, to unite in adopting a media and societal code of ethics that rejects hate speech and establishes a post-war Sudan based on the principles of equal citizenship and pluralism. It also calls for the formation of a comprehensive, independent Sudanese observatory to combat hate speech, one that preserves the memory of victims by linking incitement to field crimes within the upcoming transitional justice process.
Words kill, and silence in the face of hatred is complicity.
Sudan Rights Watch Network
June 18, 2026