The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
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.
1. Wide shot, briefers at the podium
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“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.”
3. Wide shot, briefing room
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“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.”
6. Wide shot, briefing room
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“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.”
8. Wide shot, briefing room
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“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.”
10. Wide shot, briefing room
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“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.”
12. Wide shot, briefing room
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“We call on both parties to uphold obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law.”
14. Wide shot, briefing room
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“The SAF and the RSF are responsible for the actions of groups and individuals fighting on their behalf, let us be clear about that.”
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL
UN Security Council meets amid rising Israel-Hezbollah tensions in Lebanon.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the biweekly press briefing in Geneva, UN Human Rights spokesperson made the following remarks deplored the death in State custody of Brooklyn Rivera in Nicaragua.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Lebanon: Tyre hospital strikes leave patients without critical care – WHO
The UN health agency in Lebanon is verifying reports of strikes on a hospital in the southern city of Tyre on Monday, amid a concerning rise in attacks on healthcare in the country.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WMO
El Niño confirmed, extreme weather events will be more intense, says WMO
The UN urged all countries on Tuesday to bolster early warning systems after confirming the onset of El Niño, warning that the Pacific Ocean-warming phenomenon will bring above-average temperatures “nearly everywhere” and fuel more extreme weather.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
‘A disease you get when you care for someone’: on the frontlines of the Ebola crisis with WHO
Two weeks into the latest Ebola outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) is estimating that there are 906 suspected cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including 223 suspected deaths.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on 29 May called for more robust measures by both states and tech companies to make online platforms safer for children, insisting on effective regulation, oversight and accountability. The digital world that connects children to learning, community and creativity also expose them to real risks, to their safety, to their privacy, and to their well-being. Online harms to kids’ safety, privacy, and well-being are not innate or inevitable.
See High Commissioner video: https://media.un.org/unifeed/en/asset/d357/d3579089
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA , WHO
Gaza: Life-saving medicines blocked as killing continues, disease gains ground
In Gaza, a dire humanitarian situation marked by continuing violence, rodent infestations and the spread of diseases is being made worse by blockages of essential medical supplies, UN agencies warned on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights spokesperson Shabia Mantoo, warned against the continuing trend of involuntary returns of Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers from host countries to Afghanistan, in violation of international human rights and refugee law, at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | IFRC , OHCHR
Lebanon's first responders face high risks amid conflict, with 116 killed since March.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
DRC Ebola outbreak: hundreds of suspected cases, no vaccine
A fast-spreading Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has health workers rushing to stop transmission while the roll out of any potential vaccine is months away, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
A UN Human Rights Office report released today covers 19 months of large-scale violations of international law including atrocity crimes, from October 2023 to the end of May 2025.