The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, expressed grave concerns Wednesday regarding the escalating violence and widespread atrocities in Sudan, particularly in the Kurdufan region and the city of El Fasher. Türk’s statement coincides with the observance of International Human Rights Day, highlighting the urgent need for attention to the deteriorating situation in the country.
“The clashes are intensifying in Sudan, and no civilian is spared from this horrific violence,” Türk stated, emphasizing the indiscriminate nature of the conflict and its devastating impact on the civilian population. The High Commissioner’s remarks underscore the repeated reports of egregious human rights violations in the region.
Meanwhile, Sudanese Minister of Justice, Abdallah Darf, affirmed the government’s commitment to monitoring and documenting the violations and heinous crimes allegedly committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). “We will present the violations against our people in international forums and hold the perpetrators accountable before national and international courts,” Darf stated, signaling a resolve to pursue justice for the victims of the conflict.
Adding to the dire humanitarian crisis, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) representative in Sudan, Sheldon Yett, confirmed a famine in the city of Kadugli, South Kurdufan. Kadugli has been under siege by the RSF and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, facing relentless artillery and drone attacks since the early months of the war.
While precise figures for the number of displaced persons in Kadugli remain unavailable, the city has witnessed significant waves of displacement to the outskirts and surrounding areas. UN agencies and aid organizations report that tens of thousands of people fleeing Darfur and Kurdufan remain missing. Approximately one hundred thousand displaced individuals have been registered since the attacks in October, though fewer have actually reached displacement sites.
The three states of the Kurdufan region – North, West, and South – have been the scene of fierce clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces for weeks, leading to the recent displacement of tens of thousands of people. The ongoing conflict, which erupted in April 2023 due to a dispute over the integration of the military, has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, resulting in numerous fatalities and widespread suffering.
