UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned Member States at the Human Rights Council in Geneva that Sudan faces even worse violence unless immediate action is taken, calling for the extension of the arms embargo from Darfur to cover the entire country. The conflict has involved nearly three years of fighting between Sudan’s national army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia for control of the nation.
Mr. Türk highlighted the continuous inflow of weapons as a major driver of atrocities, citing survivor testimonies from El Fasher in North Darfur. Reports indicated mass killings of hundreds of people seeking shelter at El Fasher University, with many victims targeted based on non-Arab ethnicity, particularly members of the Zaghawa ethnic group. Survivors described apocalyptic scenes with piles of bodies along roads, echoing findings from the International Criminal Court that confirmed war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the RSF siege.
The High Commissioner emphasized that the RSF and their allies bear direct responsibility for these atrocity crimes, including previous offensives such as the April 2025 attack on Zamzam camp for displaced people. The Sudan war erupted in April 2023 following the collapse of a power-sharing agreement between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF. The resulting humanitarian crisis has affected over 30 million people, with many experiencing repeated displacement, famine, and systematic sexual violence.
As fighting continues from Darfur to central regions such as Kordofan, there is growing concern that advanced drone warfare by both sides will exacerbate civilian harm. Mr. Türk reported that SAF and allied Joint Forces broke sieges in Kadugli and Dilling recently, but drone strikes continue to kill and injure dozens of civilians, who remain at risk of summary executions, sexual violence, arbitrary detention, and family separations.
To mitigate further bloodshed, the High Commissioner outlined mediation measures aimed at de-escalation, including commitments not to target civilians or residential areas with explosive weapons, ensuring unimpeded humanitarian aid, ending arbitrary detention, and halting attacks on civilian infrastructure. He highlighted the impact of RSF attacks on critical infrastructure, such as the Merowe dam and hydroelectric power station, which once supplied 70 percent of Sudan’s electricity, noting how repeated drone strikes have disrupted power, water, and healthcare for large populations.
