The Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa (HRDA) Alumni Association of the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, cordially invite you to a webinar addressing one of the most underreported humanitarian crises of our time. This webinar leverages our collective efforts to respond to urgent humanitarian crises and shed light on international law and international human rights issues happening in our region. As the association of alumni committed to advancing human rights protection across Africa, we utilise our platform for continental discourse to address contemporary challenges through rigorous legal analysis and advocacy mobilisation.
Webinar Details
Date: 5 September 2025
Time: 13:00 - 15:00 (SAST)
Format: Zoom
The Crisis
Sudan's conflict has created the world's largest hunger crisis, with 25 million people, half the country's population, facing acute hunger and 3.5 million women and children confronting severe malnutrition. At the epicentre lies El Fasher, North Darfur's capital, where an unspoken disaster unfolds daily.
Since April 2024, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have imposed a comprehensive siege on El Fasher, systematically cutting off all entry and exit routes and creating deliberate starvation conditions. Civilians survive on animal fodder and food waste, food prices have surged beyond affordability, and hundreds of thousands remain trapped without humanitarian access. Despite numerous pleas for help, aid agencies report systematic denial of access to the city. While UNICEF reports that half of those trapped are children, yet receiving little to no global attention the crisis is garnering.
Legal Framework and Significance
The deliberate use of starvation against civilians constitutes a war crime under Article 8(2)(b)(xxv) of the Rome Statute, which criminalises “intentionally using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare by depriving them of objects indispensable to their survival, including willfully impeding relief supplies”. The El Fasher siege represents a textbook case of this violation, making it a critical test case for international humanitarian law enforcement and civilian protection mechanisms in the African region.
Rationale
The systematic use of starvation as a weapon in El Fasher, combined with international community inaction, demands urgent attention from the International and African human rights community. This webinar provides a platform for expert analysis and advocacy mobilisation to address both immediate humanitarian needs and longer-term accountability for conflict-related violations occurring in our region.
Webinar Objectives
- Awareness Raising: Increase visibility for this underreported humanitarian disaster
- Legal Education: Examine international legal frameworks governing starvation as a weapon of war
- Regional Analysis: Analyse the El Fasher crisis within broader regional conflict dynamics and draw parallels with Gaza, Palestine, regarding siege warfare and starvation tactics
- Capacity Building: Enhance understanding of accountability mechanisms among regional human rights practitioners
Moderator:
- Ms Razan Ali
PhD Candidate, HRDA Alumni Coordinator
Speakers
- Mr. Alsanosi Adam, Communication Coordinator, Emergency Response Rooms/ Sudan
Topic: Voices from the Siege: Testimonies and Ground Reality in El Fasher - Prof Martha Bradley, Associate Professor Department of Public Law, Faculty of Law, University of Johannesburg, International Humanitarian Law Specialist
Topic: Legal Classification and IHL Framework: Defining the El Fasher Conflict - Dr. Henry Etienne, Independent consultant in international law and lecturer at the University of Neuchâtel
Topic: Starvation as a Weapon: Comparative Analysis of El Fasher and Gaza - Mr. Yohan Diamond, Senior Legal Counsel, Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights
Topic: International Response and Accountability Mechanisms for Sudan
Programme Structure:
13:00 - 13:10: Welcome remarks and introduction (Moderator: Razan Ali)
13:10 - 13:11: Introduction of Mr. Alsanosi Adam
13:11 - 13:25: Mr. Alsanosi Adam - "Voices from the Siege: Testimonies and Ground Reality in El Fasher"
13:25 - 13:26: Introduction of Prof. Martha Bradley
13:26 - 13:40: Prof. Martha Bradley - "Legal Classification and IHL Framework: Defining the El Fasher Conflict"
13:40 - 13:41: Introduction of Dr. Henry Etienne
13:41 - 13:55: Dr. Henry Etienne - "Starvation as a Weapon: Comparative Analysis of El Fasher and Gaza"
13:55 - 13:56: Introduction of Mr. Yohan Diamond
13:56 - 14:10: Mr. Yohan Diamond - "International Response and Accountability Mechanisms for Sudan"
14:10 - 14:50: Q&A session and interactive discussion
14:50 - 15:00: Closing remarks and call to action
About the HRDA Alumni Assosiciation
The HRDA Alumni Association, under the umbrella of Global Campus of Human Rights, represents a dynamic network of over 1,500 alumni from the Master's in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa program, spanning 54 African countries and occupying influential positions across academia, civil society, government, and international organisations.
