The United Nations human rights chief, Volker Turk, on Monday described the situation in Sudan’s Darfur region as “catastrophic,” warning of widespread atrocities as clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) intensify. Addressing the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Turk said thousands of civilians have been killed this year.
He highlighted the dire conditions in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, where residents have endured over a year of RSF siege. According to Turk, civilians lack food, water, and medicine while suffering relentless bombardment. He warned that sexual violence is rampant, particularly against displaced women and girls, and that civilians have no safe escape routes. He also stressed the growing risk of atrocities and ethnically motivated violence, calling the scale of suffering across Sudan “unfathomable.”
Turk urged urgent international action to halt the atrocities, calling on all states to respect the UN arms embargo, press the warring parties to protect civilians, guarantee humanitarian access, and work toward a ceasefire. He emphasized that the crisis in Sudan demands the full attention of the international community before it escalates further.
