The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) continue to show utter disregard for international human rights law, the UN has said.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, expressed the sentiments at the 60th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday.
Turk said thousands of civilians have been killed this year alone and hostilities were intensifying in Darfur and Kordofan.
Both Sudanese protagonists, he noted, were targeting health facilities, markets and water plants, pointing out that the scale of the suffering of the people across the vast country was unfathomable and demanding full attention of the world.
“After more than a year under RSF siege, the situation in El-Fasher is catastrophic. People are struggling to find food, water and medical supplies under constants bombardment,” he said.
Sexual violence, he went on, was widespread, predominantly against displaced women and girls.
The UN envoy said there were no safe routes out of the city, noting that he had repeatedly raised the risk of further atrocities and ethnically motivated violence.
Turk said urgent decisive action was needed to prevent further atrocity and crimes
“All countries need to respect the Security Council’s arms embargo, pressure the parties to the conflict to protect civilians, ensure humanitarian access and urgently resume dialogue on a ceasefire and end to the conflict and a return to civilian rule,” Turk asserted.
The Sudan war, a power struggle between two former allies, began in April 2023.
It has occasioned thousands of deaths and displacement and a severe humanitarian crisis.