Sudan Conflict Taking More Dangerous Turn For Civilians

GENEVA (17 January 2025) – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk today warned that 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 control of Khartoum.

“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,” said Türk.

“The situation for civilians in Sudan is already desperate, and there is evidence of the commission of war crimes and other atrocity crimes. I fear the situation is now taking a further, even more dangerous turn.”

In the last week alone, the UN Human Rights Office documented at least 21 deaths in just two attacks in Al Jazirah state, although the actual number of attacks directed at civilians and of civilians killed are very likely higher. In an attack on 10 January, at least eight civilians were killed in Taiba Camp, and at least 13 women and one man abducted. Houses were burnt, livestock, crops and other property looted, and dozens of families displaced. The next day, at least 13 civilians were killed, including two boys, in an attack on Khamsa Camp. Both camps are located about 40 kilometres from Wad Madani, the capital of Al Jazirah.

Reports suggest the attacks were carried out by the Sudan Shield Forces led by Abu Aqla Keikal, a former Rapid Support Forces commander who in October last year defected to the Sudanese Armed Forces, and that they targeted the Kanabi, a historically marginalised group comprised mainly of Nuba and other African tribes.

Türk noted the Sudanese authorities’ assurance that these attacks, which came in the context of the recapture of Wad Madani by the Sudanese Armed Forces, would be fully investigated and those responsible brought to justice, and that an investigation committee has been established.

“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,” Türk added.

In three videos received by the UN Human Rights Office that document scenes of violence, including unlawful killings, victims were dehumanised and denigrated as “Wassekh” (dirt), “Afan” (mould), “Beheema” (animal) and “Abnaa E-dheif” (bastards), and summary executions were hailed by perpetrators as “Nadhafa” (a cleaning operation). The videos were reportedly filmed in Wad Madani, with men in SAF uniforms visibly present.

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.

Separately, in the city of Omdurman, some 120 civilians were reportedly killed and more than 150 injured in drone attacks on 13 January, allegedly launched by the SAF on a market in the Ombada Dar es Salam square, an RSF-controlled area.

“I 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,” said Türk.

The High Commissioner renewed his call on both parties to uphold obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law. Attacks must never be directed against civilians.

He also warned that the proliferation of militia recruitment and mobilization of fighters, largely along ethnic lines, risks unleashing a broader civil war and inter-communal violence.

“The SAF and the RSF are responsible for the actions of groups and individuals fighting on their behalf,” Türk said. “The SAF and RSF must take immediate measures to ensure the protection of all civilians, including by taking all feasible measures to avoid or at the very least minimise harm to civilians in the conduct of hostilities

Prompt, independent, impartial and transparent investigations into all reports of violations and abuses are crucial, the High Commissioner added.

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