UN Geneva - Multimedia Newsroom : UN report: Sudan crisis deepens amid rising civilian casualties - UN Human rights spokesperson Jeremy Laurence and OHCHR Sudan Representative Li Fung

“Our report finds that the conflict-driven crisis has intensified, pointing to a rise in civilian killings, including summary executions, amid growing ethnic violence and a worsening humanitarian situation,” UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence said.

Between 1 January and 30 June, UN Human Rights documented the deaths of at least 3,384 civilians in the context of the conflict, mostly in Darfur, followed by Kordofan and Khartoum. This represents nearly 80 per cent of all civilian casualties (4,238) documented during the whole of 2024. The real toll of casualties is likely to be significantly higher.

Seventy per cent of casualties (2,398) occurred during the conduct of hostilities, as the parties continued to launch attacks in densely populated areas, using artillery shelling, airstrikes and drones.

“Several major offensives and mass casualty incidents were particularly deadly. In April, an offensive by the Rapid Support Forces on El Fasher and other areas in North Darfur resulted in at least 527 deaths, including over 270 in Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps for displaced people. In March, airstrikes by the Sudanese Armed Forces on Tora market in North Darfur killed at least 350 civilians, including 13 members of one family,” he said.

The report also documents the unlawful killing of at least 990 civilians outside the conduct of hostilities, including through summary executions. Between February and April, the number of such killings tripled, due in large part to a surge in summary executions, primarily in Khartoum, after SAF and allied fighters recaptured territory previously controlled by the RSF in late March, and campaigns of apparent reprisals against alleged “collaborators” ensued.

“One witness who observed SAF search operations in civilian neighborhoods in East Nile, Khartoum between March and April, said that he saw children as young as 14 or 15 years of age, accused of being RSF members, summarily killed,” Laurence said.

The RSF also carried out summary executions in Khartoum, as SAF and allied fighters closed in on their positions. On 27 April, video footage obtained by UN Human Rights shows the summary execution by RSF fighters of at least 30 males in civilian dress, including some who appeared to be children, in Al Salha, Omdurman, after they were accused of affiliation with SAF.

“This violence, in all of its vile forms, must end. Impunity continues to drive cycles of violations and abuses. To stop this, accountability is critical to hold those responsible to account. Sudan’s conflict is a forgotten one, and we hope that this report puts the spotlight on this disastrous situation where atrocity crimes, including war crimes, are being committed,” the spokesperson said.

The conflict has led to the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Millions face acute food insecurity, and lack access to safe water and sanitation, and cholera is on the rise.

The situation in El Fasher is horrific and continues to deteriorate rapidly, Li Fung, UN Human Rights Sudan Representative, stressed.

“We continue to receive reports of civilians being killed, abducted or subjected to sexual violence while attempting to leave El Fasher. There are no safe exit routes out of the city, and civilians are trapped in a situation of impossible choices: stay in El Fasher, and risk bombardment, starvation, and atrocities if the RSF overrun the city; or flee, and face the risk of summary execution, sexual violence, and abduction,” she said.

In July, the UN Human Rights Office interviewed more than 150 victims and witnesses who had fled to eastern Chad after escaping from Zamzam and El Fasher, she said.

“They described systematic violations and abuses – often ethnically motivated – including summary executions, targeting of health workers, abductions, and widespread and targeted sexual violence against women and girls based on their ethnic identity and perceived affiliation with the Sudanese Armed Forces and Joint Forces. One survivor described her escape from Zamzam camp, saying: “I realized that RSF soldiers were everywhere on the road to Tawila, and that I was going to be raped no matter what.”

ENDS

For more information and media requests, please contact:

In Geneva:

Ravina Shamdasani: + 41 22 917 9169 / ravina.shamdasani@un.org

Jeremy Laurence: + 41 22 917 9383 / jeremy.laurence@un.org

In Nairobi:

Seif Magango: + 254 788 343 897 / seif.magango@un.org

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