GENEVA (2 October 2025) – UN High Commissioner for
Human Rights Volker Türk on Thursday called for urgent
action to prevent large-scale, ethnically-driven attacks and
atrocities in El Fasher, as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)
intensify efforts to take control of the long-besieged
capital of Sudan’s North Darfur State.
“After over
500 days of unremitting siege by the RSF and incessant
fighting, El Fasher is on the precipice of an even greater
catastrophe if urgent measures are not taken loosen the
armed vice upon the city and to protect civilians,” said
Türk.
Reports of the pre-positioning of long-range
drones by the RSF in South Darfur have raised grave concerns
about the possibility of further intensification of
hostilities in the coming days.
Civilians continue to
bear the brunt of both indiscriminate and targeted attacks
as hostilities have intensified in El Fasher. Between 19 and
29 September, at least 91 civilians were killed in RSF
artillery shelling, drone strikes and ground incursions.
Along with persistent attacks on civilian objects, this
appears to be an effort to force the mass displacement of
civilians from El Fasher, including Abu Shouk camp for
internally displaced people.
The city’s Daraja Oula
neighbourhood, which has received civilians displaced from
Abu Shouk camp, has come under repeated attack, including
two drone strikes on a market in the last week and an
earlier drone strike on a mosque which killed at least 67
civilians on 19 September. On 30 September, the UN Human
Rights Office received credible reports that at least 23
civilians were killed when a community kitchen was shelled
in the Abu Shouk neighbourhood.
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The UN Human Rights
Chief stressed the urgent need to ensure protection of
civilians remaining in El Fasher, including those who may
not be able to leave, such as the elderly, people with
disabilities and those with chronic health
conditions.
“Safe and voluntary passage
of civilians must be ensured out of El Fasher, and
throughout their movement along key exit routes and at
checkpoints controlled by different armed actors,” said
Türk, following persistent reports of serious violence
against those fleeing, including summary executions,
torture, abductions and looting.
He
highlighted the risk of recurrence of patterns of
ethnically-motivated violations and abuses against
civilians, such as those they faced when they fled the
earlier RSF offensive on Zamzam IDP camp in mid-April,
including the systematic use of sexual violence targeting
Zaghawa women and girls.
He also called on the parties
to the conflict to allow immediate and unhindered access for
desperately-needed humanitarian aid into the city.
The
UN Human Rights Chief’s calls come at a time of
unimaginable difficulty for civilians trapped in El Fasher,
with very limited access to food, water and health
care.
“As essential supplies are dwindling daily,
and prices are skyrocketing, the recent attack on one of the
few remaining community kitchens will further diminish what
remains of the right to food,” said Türk. “The cruelty
of the situation is compounded by continued arbitrary RSF
restrictions on bringing food and essential supplies into
the city, and credible reports of civilians tortured and
killed by RSF fighters for doing so,” he
added.
Türk underlined the prohibition under
international humanitarian law of the use of starvation of
the civilian population as a method of warfare, and the
obligation to protect humanitarian personnel, including
local responders. He renewed his call for the siege to be
immediately lifted and for all parties to ensure the
unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance. He also
emphasized the responsibility of the RSF and groups that
control checkpoints along exit routes to ensure the
protection of civilians and allow them safe and voluntary
passage.
He called upon all parties and Member States
with direct influence on events on the ground to take urgent
measures to prevent atrocities. “Atrocities are not
inevitable; they can be averted if all actors take concrete
action to uphold international law, demand respect for
civilian life and property, and prevent the continued
commission of atrocity
crimes.”
