The United Nations' top human rights official delivered a scathing condemnation of the violence in Sudan on Friday, labeling the atrocities in El Fasher as “foreseen and preventable” and accusing the international community of a damaging failure to act.

Addressing a special session of the Human Rights Council, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk detailed a grim catalog of abuses committed since the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized control of the city. His list included mass killings, ethnically targeted executions, sexual violence, abductions for ransom, arbitrary detentions, and targeted attacks on medical facilities and humanitarian workers.

In a powerful indictment of the conflict's severity, Türk stated, “Bloodstains on the ground in El Fasher have been photographed from space.” He added, “The stain on the record of the international community is less visible, but no less damaging.”

Türk revealed that his office had issued more than 20 statements over the past year, repeatedly warning of the escalating siege, famine, and humanitarian catastrophe, yet meaningful intervention failed to materialize.

A Call for Concrete Measures

The High Commissioner outlined an urgent plan for international action, calling on states to:

• Ensure safe passage for civilians fleeing El Fasher.

• Allow and fully fund humanitarian aid to reach those in need.

• Hold all individuals responsible for violations of international law accountable.

He noted that UN teams are already collecting evidence for future legal proceedings and that the International Criminal Court (ICC) is closely monitoring the situation. Türk also urged action against foreign actors profiting from the conflict, describing Sudan as a proxy battleground over its natural resources.

His specific recommendations included an urgent referral of the Sudan situation to the ICC and the implementation of a comprehensive arms embargo across the entire country, not limited to the Darfur region.

Warning of Expanding Conflict

Türk also raised the alarm about surging violence in the Kordofan region, citing indiscriminate bombardments, blockades, and mass displacement. He called on all warring parties to prioritize peace, engage in meaningful negotiations, and establish a humanitarian truce as a step toward inclusive civilian governance.

“Sudan is built on the diversity of its people. The war is setting regions and communities against each other, ripping apart the social fabric, with consequences that will reach down generations,” Türk warned.

Concluding with a powerful plea, the High Commissioner stressed, “International law must not be shredded before our eyes. The suffering of the Sudanese people must end.”

The special session highlighted the growing global concern over the crisis in Sudan, as calls for immediate intervention and legal accountability grow increasingly urgent. (ILKHA)