The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, on Sunday issued a blunt warning to the warring parties in Sudan that the carnage witnessed during the fighting for the control of Al Fasher in North Darfur must not be repeated in Kadugli and Dilling, in South Kordofan.
Speaking during a UN press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday, Ravina Shamdasani of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said Türk had just concluded a five-day visit to Sudan, where he visited Port Sudan, Northern State, and Dongola, visiting volunteers, an internally displaced persons’ camp, a dam, and a power station.
“On Sunday, the High Commissioner ended his five-day visit to Sudan with a stark warning to the parties to the conflict: the horrific violations and abuses committed during the capture of El Fasher, North Darfur must under no circumstances be repeated in Kadugli and Dilling, in South Kordofan,” she said. “During his visit to Sudan, particularly the Al Afad site for internally displaced people in Ad Dabba, Northern State, which was sheltering some 20,000 displaced people, the High Commissioner bore witness to the trauma and impact of the brutality that children, men and women suffered in El Fasher and as they attempted to flee.”
The capture of El Fasher in late October was marked by widespread summary executions, sexual violence used as a weapon of war, dehumanizing treatment, and abductions for ransom. The offensive followed an 18-month siege that deprived civilians of food, healthcare, and other basic needs, alongside constant attacks on residential areas and civilian infrastructure.
“The High Commissioner urged all parties to the conflict, including during a meeting with a Rapid Support Forces delegation, to ensure that crimes committed during and after the takeover of El Fasher were not repeated in Kadugli, Dilling, and the wider Kordofan region,” Shamdasani said. “The Office had heard reports of relentless military engagements, heavy shelling, drone strikes, and airstrikes causing widespread destruction and the collapse of essential services. More than 25,000 people had been displaced across South Kordofan since late October as hostilities intensified.”
“The High Commissioner identified immediate measures for the parties, including safe passage for civilians and their protection from summary executions, reprisal attacks and sexual violence,” she added.
According to Shamdasani, having witnessed the destruction of critical civilian infrastructure at the Merowe dam and hydroelectric power station, the High Commissioner said the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces must cease intolerable attacks against civilian objects that were indispensable to the civilian population, and must ensure the protection of civilians, and unimpeded access for the delivery of humanitarian aid.
“All those who had influence, including regional actors and notably those who supplied the arms and benefited economically from the war, need to act urgently to put an end to it,” she stated.
Responding to questions from the media, Shamdasani stated that the High Commissioner had met with the delegation of the Rapid Support Forces as a party to the conflict in Nairobi and clarified that the meeting in no way implied recognition of their self-declared administration in the areas they controlled.
“During the meeting, High Commissioner drew their attention to the violations committed, including women who had been gang raped, people who had been looted of all their belongings, including educational degrees, and emphasised that their leadership was responsible for the violations committed,” she explained. “The High Commissioner maintained that these were not isolated cases, but there was a systemic use of sexual violence, and asked them to ensure these violations were not replicated.”
Shamdasani stated that the Rapid Support Forces had issued a statement, attributing words to the High Commissioner, including “welcoming efforts towards accountability”; in reality, the High Commissioner had emphasized the need to ensure accountability.