The Sudanese government acted cruelly by deporting South Sudanese refugee women without their children

October 14, 2025

By Jwothab Othow

The recent deportation of South Sudanese refugees from Sudan by Sudanese authorities, including the separation of children from their parents, is a grave violation of international refugee law and constitutes a crime. We strongly condemn the actions of the Sudanese government in Khartoum, which has forcibly deported hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese women without their children. We appeal to the United Nations and human rights organizations to take immediate action to ensure the safety and well-being of these South Sudanese children, who have been separated from their parents by the Sudanese authorities.

This action violates both the rights of refugees and the rights of children, who have been forcibly removed from their parents. Many of these women were rounded up from the streets, detained, and transported by bus to South Sudan. Tragically, these women were deported without their children, who were taken to undisclosed locations. The Sudanese government’s intentions for the South Sudanese children taken from their parents in Khartoum remain unknown.

The relationship between the governments in Juba and Khartoum has been strained for a while, largely due to the wars in both countries. They’ve accused each other of involvement. Khartoum has long accused Juba of supporting the RSF in the ongoing Sudanese civil war, alleging Juba is siding with them. In turn, Juba accuses Khartoum of backing the South Sudanese opposition. However, the Sudanese government needs to consider that the South Sudanese refugees they are deporting are victims of Juba’s regime, having fled the civil war in South Sudan.

The Sudanese government’s justification doesn’t hold up, as some refugees lack proper documentation due to the past Sudanese policy of not registering South Sudanese fleeing their civil war, claiming they were “brothers and sisters” who could stay without refugee status. Now, deporting these refugees for lack of documentation contradicts that earlier stance. We strongly condemn this inhumane act, which separates children from their families. These refugees are not connected to Juba’s regime’s policies, and the Sudanese government shouldn’t take its frustrations out on innocent South Sudanese refugees, who are the very victims of that regime. Therefore, the Sudanese government must end its diplomatic retaliation against Juba by targeting innocent South Sudanese refugees in Sudan.

In January 2025, we all remember the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) committing war crimes and crimes against humanity against South Sudanese refugees in Sudan, including the massacre in Wad Medani following the SAF’s capture of the city from the RSF. Now, the Sudanese government in Khartoum is perpetrating inhumane acts against South Sudanese, rounding up innocent refugee women and deporting them to South Sudan, leaving their children behind. These refugees fled the ongoing civil war in South Sudan, which began in 2013. The Sudanese government, as a member of the United Nations, should uphold its obligations under international law and the Geneva Conventions regarding refugee rights. Sudan, as a UN member, is responsible for protecting refugees, including not expelling them or returning them to a dangerous place like South Sudan, where they fled the civil war.

The Sudanese government must protect refugees in Sudan. These actions constitute human rights violations and crimes against South Sudanese refugees. Enough is enough. South Sudanese refugees have suffered for too long in Sudan, enduring humiliation, rights violations, and slaughter by the Sudanese army and government. We urge the United Nations to relocate South Sudanese refugees if the Sudanese government fails to protect them. We strongly condemn these barbaric acts by Sudanese authorities and call on the United Nations and human rights organizations to ensure the safe return of South Sudanese children separated from their families. The author, Jwothab Othow, a citizen of South Sudan, an activist and a critic of South Sudan’s authoritarian regime. May God bless the Republic of South Sudan and the people of South Sudan.