Sudan: Türk warns of catastrophic surge in violence
Een van de meest ‘vergeten’ oorlogen, de burgeroorlog in Soedan, verhevigt zich nog met verwoestende gevolgen voor de miljoenen burgers die in dit gruwelijke conflict verstrikt zijn geraakt. Dit was de waarschuwing van de onafhankelijke internationale VN-onderzoeksmissie voor Soedan op 17 juni 2025. De missie roept de internationale gemeenschap op een wapenembargo in te stellen en ervoor te zorgen dat degenen die verantwoordelijk zijn voor oorlogsmisdaden eindelijk ter verantwoording worden geroepen. Rapporten zijn er inmiddels genoeg, de wereld kan onmogelijk stellen niet te weten welke misdaden er worden gepleegd, maar de belangstelling blijft minimaal, zeker in vergelijking met meer gemediatiseerde conflicten.
Enkele dagen later, op vrijdag 20 juni, waarschuwde VN-mensenrechtenchef Volker Türk, voor de rampzalige gevolgen van de voortdurende en escalerende vijandelijkheden in de Soedanese regio’s Noord-Darfur en Kordofan, waar recent weer duizenden burgerslachtoffers van seksueel geweld, ontvoeringen en plunderingen zijn gemeld.
“De recente gevechten en het grote risico op verdere verergering van een al wreed en dodelijk conflict geven aanleiding tot ernstige bezorgdheid over de bescherming van burgers, te midden van een alomtegenwoordige cultuur van straffeloosheid voor mensenrechtenschendingen”, aldus de hoge VN-commissaris in Genève.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk warned Friday 20 June 2025 of the disastrous consequences stemming from ongoing and escalating hostilities across the North Darfur and Kordofan regions in Sudan, where civilian casualties, sexual violence, abductions and looting have been reported in multiple areas.
“The recent fighting and grave risk of further aggravation in an already brutal and deadly conflict raise severe protection concerns, amid a pervasive culture of impunity for human rights violations,” the High Commissioner said.
On 15 June 2025, after a year-long siege, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched a further attack on El Fasher (North Darfur), following months of increased mobilisation of fighters, including the recruitment of children, across Darfur.
The operation, with its ground offensive to capture the city, mirrors the RSF’s offensive on the Zamzam camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in April, which led to hundreds of civilian deaths, widespread sexual violence and a humanitarian catastrophe.
In South Kordofan state, civilians also remain trapped by the fighting between the parties vying for control of the strategic town of Al Debibat. Meanwhile, in North Kordofan state, the RSF have reportedly surrounded the city of El Obeid, currently held by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and allied groups, and may attack it in the coming days, as announced by the RSF commander.
“Civilians must be protected at all costs. Violations and crimes must be thoroughly investigated and those responsible be held to account,” he added.
“I urge the parties to ensure civilians can safely leave El Fasher, Al Debibat, and El Obeid, as well as other places where civilians may be trapped by the conflict. All parties must refrain from attacking civilian objects, ultimately lay down their weapons and put an end to hostilities,” Türk said.
“I call on all States to exert their influence to press for a durable political solution, and to ensure respect by the parties to the conflict for international humanitarian law. I also urge them to press for an end to the flow of arms into the country, and to restrain the business interests sustaining this conflict.”
Dit persbericht van OHCHR in Genève verscheen op vrijdag 20 juni 2025 op de website: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/06/sudan-turk-warns-catastrophic-surge-violence
Sudan war intensifying with devastating consequences for civilians, UN Fact-Finding Mission says
The civil war in Sudan is intensifying with devastating consequences for countless civilians caught in the conflict, the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan warned on 17 June. The Mission called on the international community to implement an arms embargo and ensure those responsible for serious human rights violations are held accountable.
The Fact-Finding Mission, which will present its latest findings to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, has documented increased use of heavy weaponry in populated areas and a sharp rise in sexual and gender-based violence.
It said humanitarian relief is being weaponized and hospitals and medical facilities are under siege.
“Let us be clear: the conflict in Sudan is far from over,” said Mohamed Chande Othman, chair of the Fact-Finding Mission. “The scale of human suffering continues to deepen. The fragmentation of governance, the militarization of society, and the involvement of foreign actors are fueling an ever-deadlier crisis.”
The war, which erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has killed tens of thousands of civilians so far, displacing over 13 million Sudanese and subjecting many more to sexual violence, looting and the destruction of homes, health facilities, markets and other infrastructure.
“What began as a political and security crisis has become a grave human rights and protection emergency, marked by international crimes that stain all involved,” Member of the Fact-Finding Mission, Mona Rishmawi, said.
“It is unconscionable that this devastating war is entering its third year with no sign of resolution. We all know, but it is worth repeating, civilians continue to bear the brunt of escalating violence and hostilities,” she added.
Since its last report to the Council, the Fact-Finding Mission conducted 240 interviews, received 110 submissions, verified 30 videos, geolocated eight attacks, and compiled dossiers identifying possible perpetrators.
It also initiated confidential cooperation with relevant judicial entities. Despite Sudan’s refusal to allow access inside the country, the Mission carried out investigative missions to Uganda and Chad, and engaged in high-level consultations in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with African Union officials.
Both sides have escalated the use of heavy weaponry in populated areas
The Mission found that both sides have escalated the use of heavy weaponry in populated areas. Around El Fasher, civilians have been assaulted, detained and killed while villages have been attacked, burned and looted by the RSF.
During one RSF attack from 10 to 13 April, more than 100 civilians were reportedly killed, while a SAF bombing in Al Koma killed at least 15 civilians.
In areas recaptured by the SAF, such as Khartoum, Gezira, and Sennar, the Mission documented widespread retaliatory violence between late 2024 and mid-2025.
Individuals perceived to have supported the RSF — including human rights defenders, medical workers, and aid personnel — have faced arbitrary arrest, torture, and in some cases, execution. The RSF, too, has carried out reprisals, killing 30 civilians in Omdurman’s Al-Salha neighborhood on 27 April.
Humanitarian relief is also being weaponized, with the SAF imposing bureaucratic restrictions, while the RSF has looted convoys and blocked aid entirely. These actions are driving famine, especially in Darfur.
On 2 June, a UN convoy was bombed in Al Koma en route to El Fasher, killing five staff members.
The RSF has shelled the Saudi Hospital in El Fasher a dozen times. In May, an RSF drone strike on Obeid International Hospital in North Kordofan killed six civilians and shut down one of the region’s last functioning clinics.
The Fact-Finding Mission documented a sharp rise in sexual and gender-based violence, with women and girls subjected to rape, gang rape, abduction, sexual slavery, and forced marriage, mostly in RSF-controlled displacement camps.
Last month (May 2025), with support from the International Commission of Jurists, Kenya branch, the Fact-Finding Mission organized a three-day consultation on accountability in Nairobi with 96 participants, including survivors, legal practitioners, civil society actors from Sudan, the region and beyond.
Participants stressed the importance of preserving evidence with integrity, even if accountability may take years or decades.
One message was clear: peace without justice is an illusion
“Accountability is not a luxury; it is the cornerstone of sustainable peace. Its absence fuels the flames of conflict,” said Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, a member of the Fact-Finding Mission.
“Justice must be demanded and actively integrated into peace agreements to address the lack of accountability, which has been identified as a root cause of conflicts in Sudan.”
Othman called on all States to uphold and enforce their legal obligations, particularly the arms embargo mandated by Security Council Resolution 1556 and subsequent resolutions.
“We urge all States to honour their legal duties—starting with full enforcement of the arms embargo under Security Council Resolution 1556. Those with influence must act now to respect and ensure respect for international humanitarian law, and to avoid risking complicity in grave violations,” Othman said.
“This mandate is urgent. We are deeply grateful to the Sudanese survivors and civil society who have entrusted us with their stories. We are working tirelessly to honour that trust and amplify their voices. With the support of all stakeholders, we can turn commitments into real protection for civilians in Sudan.”
Background: The UN Human Rights Council established the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan in October 2023 with resolution A/HRC/RES/54/2, and extended its mandate until October 2025 with resolution A/HRC/RES/57/2.
Its key task is “to investigate and establish the facts, circumstances and root causes of all alleged human rights violations and abuses and violations of international humanitarian law, including those committed against refugees, and related crimes in the context of the ongoing armed conflict that began on 15 April 2023, between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, as well as other warring parties.”
The members of the Fact-Finding Mission were appointed by the President of the UN Human Rights Council; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work.
While the UN Human Rights Office provides support to the Fact-Finding Mission, the members serve in their individual capacity and are independent from any government or organization, including the UN.
Any views or opinions presented herein are solely those of the mandated members.
Geneva, 17 June 2025
Lees ook:
- Resilience in times of war: how WRI members in Sudan are sustaining their work for peace https://cimic-npo.org/2025/04/18/92-003/
- ‘The International Community Must Stop Turning a Blind Eye to the Suffering of Sudanese Women’ https://cimic-npo.org/2024/11/18/the-international-community-must-stop-turning-a-blind-eye-to-the-suffering-of-sudanese-women/
- For too long, ‘unbound horrors’ have unfolded in Sudan https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1164701
- Sudan emergency: We need more help to prevent famine, says WFP https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1164181
- Chaos, crime force residents to flee Sudan’s Nyala amid security collapse (The Sudan Tribune, 21 June 2025) https://sudantribune.com/article302142/
- UNICEF warns of ‘worsening crisis’ for children on Chad-Sudan border https://sudantribune.com/article302194/
- Sudan warns African nations over dealings with Hamdok-led coalition https://sudantribune.com/article302160/
- Sudan condemns Iran’s attack on Qatar as Middle East tensions flare (23 June 2025) https://sudantribune.com/article302191/
- Detention facilities and practices in Khartoum State in the context of the conflict in the Sudan https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/country-reports/detention-facilities-and-practices-khartoum-state-context-conflict-sudan
Lees verder (inhoud juni 2025)
