The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk is extremely concerned by the escalating violence and hostilities in Sudan’s Al-Jazirah State, which are further exacerbating the risk of attacks against civilians, ethnically motivated violence and atrocity crimes, UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango said on Tuesday. He was speaking at the bi-weekly UN press briefing in Geneva.
“UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk is extremely concerned by the escalating hostilities and violence in Sudan. The violence is taking place in Al-Jazirah State,” he said.
“Since the defection of Abu Aqla Keikel, a commander in the Rapid Support Forces, to the Sudanese Armed Forces on 20 October, attacks by the RSF on villages in Al-Jazirah state have increased, apparently in retaliation for his defection and targeting members of his ethnic group,” he added.
“On Friday 25 October, at least 124 people were reportedly killed in an attack by RSF ground forces on Al-Seriha village,” he noted.
“This incident follows at least two other attacks by RSF ground forces on the nearby towns of Tamboul and Rufaa earlier in the week. Reports suggest hundreds of people were killed in Tamboul.” he said.
“They also indicate at least 25 cases of sexual violence in multiple villages in Sharq Al Gazira locality, including of three medical personnel and an 11-year-old girl, who died as a result,” he added.
Speaking at the at the biweekly UN press briefing in Geneva, Magango said, “As a result of the violence, thousands of families have reportedly been displaced from Al-Jazirah state into the neighbouring states of Gedaref and Kassala, adding to the already dire displacement crisis in the country,” said the spokesperson.
“There are also reports of burning of crops. At a time when over 25 million Sudanese are facing acute food insecurity because of the ongoing conflict, destruction of crops in a region considered the country’s breadbasket can only exacerbate an already catastrophic situation,” he said.
“UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk reiterates his call on all parties to strictly respect their obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law, in particular by ensuring the protection of civilians,” said Magango.
“The leaders of both sides must promptly take all measures to de-escalate the situation,” he said
He also called for all alleged violations to be investigated and those responsible brought to justice, following fair trials.
Ends
STORY: UN Human Rights Spokesperson Seif Magango on escalating violence in Sudan’s Al-Jazirah State
TRT: 02:40
SOURCE: OHCHR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: English/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 29 OCTOBER 2024 - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Exterior shot: Palais des Nations
- Cutaway: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Seif Magango, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk is extremely concerned by the escalating hostilities and violence in Sudan. The violence is taking place in Al-Jazirah State.”
- Cutaway: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Seif Magango, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Since the defection of Abu Aqla Keikel, a commander in the Rapid Support Forces, to the Sudanese Armed Forces on 20 October, attacks by the RSF on villages in Al-Jazirah state have increased, apparently in retaliation for his defection, and targeting members of his ethnic group.”
- Cutaway: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Seif Magango, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “On Friday 25 October, at least 124 people were reportedly killed in an attack by RSF ground forces on Al-Seriha village.”
- Cutaway: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Seif Magango, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “This incident follows at least two other attacks by RSF ground forces on the nearby towns of Tamboul and Rufaa earlier in the week. Reports suggest hundreds of people were killed in Tamboul.”
- Cutaway: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Seif Magango, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “They indicate at least 25 cases of sexual violence in multiple villages in Sharq Al Gazira locality, including of three medical personnel and an 11-year-old girl, who died as a result.”
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Seif Magango, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “As a result of the violence, thousands of families have reportedly been displaced from Al-Jazirah state into the neighbouring states of Gedaref and Kassala, adding to the already dire displacement crisis in the country.
- Cut away: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Seif Magango, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): There are reports of burning of crops. At a time when over 25 million Sudanese are facing acute food insecurity because of the ongoing conflict, destruction of crops in a region considered the country’s breadbasket can only exacerbate an already catastrophic situation.”
- Cut away: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Seif Magango, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk reiterates his call on all parties to strictly respect the obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law, in particular by ensuring the protection of civilians.”
- Cutaway: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Seif Magango, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “The leaders of both sides must promptly take all measures to de-escalate the situation.”
- Cutaway: Briefing room
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News , B-roll | OCHA
Two months into a devastating aid blockade of Gaza food has run out and people are fighting over water amid relentless bombing, the UN’s humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA) said on Friday.
/Includes OCHA footage from Gaza City/
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA
Children in Gaza are going to bed starving, says aid agency
The biggest UN aid agency in Gaza on Tuesday condemned the two-month Israeli blockade on Gaza that has left families sharing a single tin of food at mealtime and the sick and injured without lifesaving medical help, amid daily bombardment.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR
Ongoing Russian attacks in Ukraine force frontline areas to empty: UNHCR
With Ukrainian cities still reeling from this week’s deadly Russian missile and drone attacks, communities on the front line continue to be targeted too, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday. “We also see attacks on frontline regions increasing and it's, as always, civilians that are bearing the highest cost of the war,” said Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR Representative in Ukraine.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
Funding and supply shortfalls for the UN World Food Programme (WFP)'s work in Ethiopia will halt lifesaving treatment for 650,000 malnourished women and children at the end of the month. “We are at the breaking point,” it said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Israeli military operations in Lebanon continue to kill and injure civilians, and destroy civilian infrastructure, raising concerns regarding the protection of civilians, the UN Human Rights Office warned today.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM , UNWOMEN , UNDP
Sudan: Aid teams report massive displacement after latest Darfur atrocity; women’s bodies ‘turned into battlegrounds’
In Sudan’s North Darfur, tens of thousands of people have fled a displacement camp following the massacre of civilians and aid workers as the country enters the third year of a conflict marked by horrific levels of sexual violence, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | ITC
Global trade could shrink by three per cent as a result of the United States’ new tariff measures which in the longer term could reshape and boost as-yet untapped regional commercial links, a top UN economist confirmed on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Warring parties in Sudan are overseeing a wholesale assault on human rights amid global inaction, the UN Human Rights Office said on Friday, as the conflict is about to enter its third year.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office on Friday said Israel’s increasing issuance of so-called “evacuation orders” for Palestinians in Gaza have resulted in their forcible transfer.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , OHCHR , UNHCR , UNWOMEN , WFP , WHO
Two years of war in Sudan have created epic suffering, aid agencies say
Two years since Sudan’s brutal conflict began, UN agencies warned that famine is spreading and civilians of all ages continue to suffer shocking abuse, including rape and gang rape.
1
1
Edited News | UNMAS
In Gaza, ongoing Israeli military operations and the aid blockade have continued to add to daily fears and hardships confronting those in the devastated enclave, the UN Mine Action Service, UNMAS, said on Wednesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNDP
Dangers grow for Myanmar earthquake survivors, health system 'overwhelmed' - UNDP
In earthquake-shattered central Myanmar people are sleeping in the streets in fear of buildings collapsing, facing early monsoon rains and the risk of waterborne diseases, the UN Development Programme warned on Tuesday.