Mashad Organization for Human Rights and Humanitarian Development strongly condemns the brutal and repeated assaults carried out by the Nigerian police against the Humanitarian Dialogue Center in Agadez, the most recent of which occurred on 21 August 2025, when six Sudanese refugees (three women and three men) were arrested and taken to an undisclosed location without any legal basis or judicial process, in flagrant violation of international human rights law and international refugee law. This attack follows a series of recurring security incidents, the most serious of which was on 25 May 2025, when a Sudanese refugee was shot dead by the police inside the same center, which currently shelters around 1,000 Sudanese refugees living in dire humanitarian conditions.
The Organization expresses its deep concern and strong condemnation, while urgently calling upon the Government of Sudan to fulfill its national and constitutional duty to protect and defend its citizens abroad, as all responsible governments do, and to act swiftly through diplomatic and regional channels to ensure their safety and rights. Mashad further urges the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to assume its legal and moral responsibilities in providing effective protection for Sudanese refugees, and calls upon the African Union to fulfill its role in holding the Nigerian authorities accountable to their regional and international obligations. The Organization also appeals to the entire international community to take urgent and coordinated action to protect Sudanese refugees and safeguard their human dignity in line with international conventions and treaties.
The plight of Sudanese refugees in neighboring African countries stands as a disgrace on the conscience of the continent and of humanity, representing a grave violation of international instruments relating to human rights and refugee protection. Mashad Organization reaffirms its commitment to exposing and confronting these violations, and to continuing its efforts with regional and international partners to secure the rights of Sudanese refugees to protection, dignity, and justice.
