OHCHR Raises Alarm over New "Atrocities" in Sudan

UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Turk expressed concerns on Thursday about the potential for new "atrocities" in Sudan amid escalating fighting between the army and paramilitary forces in the Kordofan region.

Violence has intensified across the three states that comprise Kordofan as the Sudanese army attempts to prevent the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and other groups from accessing a crucial road that connects the capital, Khartoum, with the important Darfur region.

The UN Human Rights Council has already initiated an inquiry into reported atrocities following the RSF's seizure of the Darfur city of El-Fasher after an 18-month siege.

The war, which began in April 2023, has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and forced over 14 million people to flee their homes, according to aid agencies.

Turk reiterated the need for a ceasefire to allow aid to reach threatened towns and expressed his fears about a further wave of atrocities amid a surge of fierce fighting in the Kordofan region involving the Sudanese army, the RSF, and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), as stated in a release from his office.

The statement noted that since the RSF captured the Kordofan city of Bara on October 25, the UN Human Rights Office has documented at least 269 civilian deaths due to aerial strikes, artillery shelling, and summary executions, with estimates suggesting the actual toll could be "much higher," given the challenges in communication with the city.

Reports have also emerged of retaliatory killings, arbitrary detentions, abductions, sexual violence, and forced recruitment, including the conscription of children, Turk added.

"It is truly shocking to see history repeating itself in Kordofan so soon after the horrific events in El Fasher," Turk remarked.

The statement highlighted a drone attack on November 3 in El Obeid, North Kordofan, where mourners had gathered, resulting in the deaths of 45 people, mostly women. Another drone strike by the army on November 29 in Kauda, South Kordofan, reportedly led to at least 48 civilian deaths.

The UN rights office indicated that cities like Kadugli and Dilling in South Kordofan are at particular risk, as they have been besieged by the RSF and SPLM-N. El Obeid in North Kordofan is also at risk, being partially surrounded by the RSF. The UN has confirmed the presence of famine in Kadugli.

The escalating violence has led to more than 45,000 people fleeing their homes in the past month, seeking safety either within or outside the Kordofan region.