Geneva — The UN Human Rights Office said Tuesday it is receiving “appalling reports” from Sudan that members of one of the protagonists in the war, the Rapid Support Forces, are carrying out atrocities, including summary executions, after seizing control of new areas.
“We are receiving multiple, alarming reports from Sudan that the Rapid Support Forces are carrying out atrocities, including summary executions, after seizing control of large parts of the besieged city of El Fasher, North Darfur and of Bara city in North Kordofan state.” Said Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
Speaking at a UN Press Conference, Shamdasani said, “It is an extremely precarious situation, and the risk of further large-scale, ethnically motivated violations and atrocities is mounting by the day.”
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She said that the Human Rights Office has received reports of the summary execution of civilians trying to flee, and of people no longer participating in hostilities.
A series of distressing videos show dozens of unarmed men being shot or lying dead, surrounded by RSF fighters who accuse them of being SAF fighters.
The Sudan conflict, which began on April 15, 2023, is a civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and shows no signs of abating.
- Severe food shortages
Faced with severe food shortages and exorbitant prices, the UN Human Rights Office has also received disturbing reports that RSF fighters summarily executed five men for attempting to bring food supplies into the city, which has been under RSF siege for 18 months.
“We’ve also received reports of numerous civilian deaths, including of humanitarian volunteers, due to heavy artillery shelling from the 22nd to the 26th of October.”
Shamdasani said it is difficult to estimate the number of civilian casualties, given communications cuts and the large number of people who are fleeing.
She said that hundreds of people have also reportedly been detained while trying to flee, including a journalist.
“Given past realities in North Darfur, the likelihood of sexual violence against women and girls is extremely high,” said the Rights Office spokesperson.
“Concrete action is urgently needed to ensure the protection of civilians in El Fasher, and safe passage for those trying to reach relative safety.”
The Rights Office notes that international humanitarian law prohibits violence against individuals no longer participating in hostilities and that the use of starvation as a weapon of war is strictly prohibited.
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The fighting between the Sudanese army and the RSF that began in 2023 has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced 14 million, according to the UN and local authorities.
Research from US universities, however, estimates the death toll at around 130,000.
