At a special session in Geneva, the Human Rights Council urged renewed investigations and accountability for the growing humanitarian disaster in Sudan’s Darfur region.
GENEVA — The U.N. Human Rights Council held a special session to address recent mass killings and other atrocities committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group battling the Sudanese army, at the Saudi hospital and other areas of El-Fasher in Sudan’s Darfur region.
During the session, the body unanimously approved a resolution commissioning a team of independent experts to continue and deepen investigations into the human rights violations committed in the area.
Last month, RSF fighters took control of El-Fasher—the capital of North Darfur—and attacked the Saudi hospital, killing more than 450 people, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Additionally, humanitarian workers and displaced residents reported that the RSF conducted house-to-house searches, killing civilians and perpetrating sexual assaults.
At the session’s opening, U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk stated that the atrocities in El-Fasher “could have been foreseen and prevented, but they were not. They constitute extremely serious crimes.” Mr. Türk emphasized that as the RSF took control of the city, they carried out “mass killings of civilians, executions against specific ethnic groups, sexual violence including gang rapes, kidnappings for ransom, widespread arbitrary detentions, attacks on health facilities, medical staff, and humanitarian workers, and other horrifying atrocities.”
Mona Rishmawi, a spokesperson for the U.N. fact-finding mission, stated that since the fall of El-Fasher to the RSF, the team has collected evidence of “unspeakable atrocities, deliberate killings, torture, rapes, kidnappings, arbitrary detentions, and forced disappearances, all on a large scale.” Ms. Rishmawi added that “much of El-Fasher is now a crime scene” and that a thorough investigation is necessary to understand the full scope of the crimes.
The armed conflict between the Sudanese army—Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF)—and the RSF began in 2023 after a breakdown in their previous alliance, provoking a humanitarian crisis in the country. According to WHO data, at least 40,000 people have died due to the fighting, and the U.N. estimates 12 million have been displaced. Humanitarian organizations warn the true number of victims could be considerably higher.
Simultaneously, Abdel-Fattah Burhan, leader of the army and Sudan’s governing council, asserted that “this war will not end with a truce, but when the rebels are destroyed,” according to a statement released during a visit to Gezira province. “We call on all Sudanese to join the fight, and on those who can bear arms to present themselves.”
The flow of internally displaced persons increases daily. According to The Associated Press, thousands have fled Darfur and Kordofan to the al-Dabbah displacement camp in the north. Fatheya Hussein, an El-Fasher resident, recounted being trapped in the RSF-besieged city for over 18 months. She noted it was risky to leave her home due to snipers, especially at night, and they had limited access to food and water.
“I was trapped like a mouse in its hole. There is suffering in El-Fasher, with bodies scattered everywhere,” said Ms. Hussein, who lost 51 family members to artillery fire and gunshots.
After a 65-kilometer journey on foot, she warned of beatings, robberies, and searches of those fleeing, as well as severe hunger and dehydration. Her cousin died of starvation during the journey to safety. The World Food Programme (WFP) reported Friday that it is increasing aid for those escaping El-Fasher, noting that most arrivals are women and children who are “exhausted, thirsty, and malnourished” after walking for days.
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