United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has urgently called for an end to the war imposed on the people of Sudan.
During a statement issued by the UN Media Center on the anniversary of the conflict’s onset between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, Türk highlighted the dire situation faced by Sudanese civilians.
He detailed the “indescribable suffering” endured by the population amid indiscriminate attacks in densely populated areas, ethnically motivated violence, and a surge in conflict-related sexual assaults.
Türk warned of an escalation of violence as combatants arm civilians and more armed groups join the fighting, especially following reports of an imminent attack on Al-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.
He urged the Sudanese authorities to immediately rescind arrest warrants for former Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok and other civilian leaders, prioritizing trust-building measures to initiate a ceasefire as a step towards resolving the conflict and reinstating a civilian government.
The Commissioner emphasized the need to reduce the number of armed factions rather than increase them, arguing that limiting the participation of civilian political leaders, including through threats of arrest, has counterproductive effects and should be abandoned.
Since the conflict began on 15 April 2023, thousands of civilians have been killed, wounded, forcibly disappeared, or arbitrarily detained, with countless homes, schools, hospitals, and other vital civilian infrastructure destroyed, plunging the country into a severe humanitarian crisis and creating the world’s largest displacement crisis.
The UN official called on all parties to ensure safe and unhindered access for humanitarian and human rights workers to all areas under their control, to cease violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, and to hold perpetrators accountable.
