As the escalation in the conflict between the Rapid Support Forces and Sudanese Armed Forces reaches its sixth month today resulting in the deaths of at least 5,000 civilians, more than 12,000 injured, and over 5.7 million people forcibly displaced, Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International's East and Southern Africa Regional Director, said:

"Every day civilians in Sudan are being killed and displaced as the conflict continues to rage - countless lives have been needlessly destroyed in the last six months."Justice and accountability are essential for the protection of civilians. The ongoing lack of accountability for past crimes is one of the root causes of this renewed violence."We welcome last week's ambitious action from the Human Rights Council establishing an international accountability mechanism to collect and preserve evidence, and look forward to its starting as soon as possible. We urge all parties to the conflict to cooperate with it. "The UN Security Council must urge all relevant actors to significantly increase humanitarian support for Sudan and demand they allow the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid. The Security Council must also extend the existing arms embargo to all of Sudan and ensure its enforcement."

Extensive war crimes being committed

Amnesty recently joined more than 50 human rights and humanitarian organisations calling on the international community to do more to address the disaster unfolding in Sudan.

In a report released in August, 'Death Came To Our Home': War Crimes and Civilian Suffering In Sudan, Amnesty revealed that extensive war crimes being committed by Rapid Support Forces and Sudanese Armed Forces in the conflict documenting mass civilian casualties in both deliberate and indiscriminate attacks by the warring parties. It includes details of sexual violence against women and girls, targeted attacks on civilian objects such as hospitals and churches, and extensive looting.