The Reckoning Project
The Reckoning Project: Sudan
The Reckoning Project closes the gap between atrocity and accountability by training local researchers, documenting violations with legal rigor, and converting evidence into actionable pathways for justice.
Project information
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Project links The Reckoning Project closes the gap between atrocity and accountability by training local researchers, documenting violations with legal rigor, and converting evidence into actionable pathways for justice.
Project information
The project is funded with
Location
Duration of the project
Time status
Focus area
Darfur has been marked by violence since the genocide in 2003, with a new conflict erupting in April 2023 between Sudan’s army (SAF) and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The RSF carried out brutal attacks against the Masalit people in West Darfur, prompting the United States to recognize these atrocities as genocide. The UN now warns of another genocide as violence spreads across the country, with ethnic persecution, torture, and sexual violence. Despite this, the conflict receives insufficient attention from the media, policymakers, and the human rights community. Local journalists and human rights defenders lack resources for diplomacy, accountability, and support for survivors.
In this project, The Reckoning Project aims to combine investigative journalism with legal expertise to document the atrocities in Darfur and transform testimonies into evidence for legal proceedings—bringing these crimes to the global agenda, amplifying survivors’ voices in the media, and contributing to accountability.
What happens in the project?
- A team of local Sudanese researchers, journalists, human rights activists, and lawyers will be recruited and trained to document war crimes and abuses, with a particular focus on conflict-related sexual violence, by collecting and verifying testimonies from survivors and witnesses.
- The team will also monitor the situation and gather material for various types of media production.
- A strategic media dissemination plan will be developed and implemented to ensure broad and long-term reach among key groups, including policymakers, journalists, and civil society actors.
- Lawyers will also prepare legal submissions to international and regional bodies for accountability, supporting ongoing legal proceedings and future prosecutions.
- A high-level event will be organized in Geneva, and a report on the human rights situation in Sudan will be published.
Why is the project supported?
International attention and engagement for Sudan have stagnated in recent years, yet the situation remains critical. It is essential to support initiatives that promote accountability and prevent crimes against humanity in situations like this.
