The chief spokesperson of the UN Human Rights Office, Ravina Shamdasani, warned that the conflict in Sudan is taking an even more dangerous turn for civilians.
“The conflict in Sudan is taking an even more dangerous turn for civilians after reports that dozens were brutally killed in ethnically targeted attacks in the southeastern state of Al Jazirah and amid reports of an imminent battle for the control of Khartoum,” she said, echoing the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk.
“As the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces battle for control at all costs in the senseless war that has raged for close to two years now, direct and ethnically motivated attacks on civilians are becoming increasingly common,” she said, adding: The situation for civilians in Sudan is already desperate, and there is evidence of the commission of war crimes and other atrocity crimes. We fear the situation is now taking a further, even more dangerous turn.”
She was speaking at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva today (17 Jan.)
“The situation for civilians in Sudan is already desperate, and there is evidence of the commission of war crimes and other atrocity crimes. We fear the situation is now taking a further, even more dangerous turn,” said Shamdasani. “Retaliatory attacks – of shocking brutality – on entire communities based on real or perceived ethnic identity are on the rise, as is hate speech and incitement to violence. This must urgently be brought to an end.”
“We once again call on the President of the Transitional Sovereign Council and the Commander of the Rapid Support Forces to put an end to the fighting,” she said.
“We call on both parties to uphold obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law. The proliferation of militia recruitment and mobilization of fighters, largely along ethnic lines, risks unleashing a broader civil war and inter-communal violence,” said the spokesperson.
“The SAF and the RSF are responsible for the actions of groups and individuals fighting on their behalf, let us be clear about that,” she added.
Her remarks follow reports that dozens of civilians were brutally killed in ethnically targeted attacks in the southeastern state of Al Jazirah, including its capital Wad Madani, and amid reports of an imminent battle for control of Khartoum.
Separately, some 120 civilians were reportedly killed and more than 150 injured in drone attacks in the city of Omdurman on the 13 January. Serious concerns also persist for civilians in North Darfur, where ethnically motivated attacks by the RSF and its allied Arab militias against African ethnic groups, particularly the Zaghawa and the Fur, continue to exact a horrific toll.
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Edited News | OCHA
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Starving Gazans continue to be deprived of aid as international relief efforts are being severely constrained by the Israeli authorities, the UN humanitarian affairs coordination office OCHA said on Friday.
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Edited News | OCHA , UNRWA
As a controversial United States and Israel-backed aid distribution plan gets underway in Gaza, the UN called on Tuesday for an “immediate surge” of its own pre-positioned supplies to help prevent starvation.
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Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Office Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani today urged Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to reject a bill that was recently endorsed by parliament allowing trials of civilians in military courts. The Uganda People’s Defence Forces Amendment Bill 2025, which was passed on 20 May and now awaits presidential signature to become law, among others broadens the jurisdiction of military courts, authorising them to try a wide range of offences against civilians.
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Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango today warned of a further deterioration in the human rights situation in South Sudan at the bi-weekly briefing in Geneva.
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Edited News | OCHA , WHO
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Edited News | UNRWA , OCHA , WHO
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Edited News
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The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) commemorated 160 years dedicated to connecting the world on Saturday, 17 May in Geneva, Switzerland, during the annual World Telecommunication and Information Society Day.
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Edited News | WHO , OCHA
Gazans ‘in terror’ after another night of deadly strikes and siege
Amid reports that Israeli strikes across Gaza into Friday killed at least 64 people, aid teams once again pushed back strongly at allegations that aid is being diverted to Hamas and pleaded for the blockade to end.
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Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Deportations over recent months of large numbers of non-nationals from the United States of America, especially to countries other than those of their origin, raise a number of human rights concerns, the UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk warned on Tuesday.
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Edited News | WHO
Gaza: Over 50 child malnutrition deaths amid aid blockade; entire generation will be ‘permanently affected’ - WHO
In the aid desert of Gaza, malnourished children are dying while survivors can expect a lifetime of dire health problems, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
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Edited News | WHO , UNICEF , UNRWA
Israel’s aid plan will force Gaza families to choose ‘between displacement and death’ – UN humanitarians
Israel’s plan to take control of relief assistance in Gaza risks increasing the suffering of families already exhausted by 18 months of war by putting their lives in danger and inciting more displacement, using aid as “bait”, UN humanitarians said on Friday.