Sudan: UN exposes catastrophic toll of ongoing conflict on civilians

A recent United Nations (UN) report has shed light on Sudan’s nearly year-long conflict, uncovering mass killings, displacement, and human rights violations that have plunged millions into unimaginable suffering, all while the world turns a blind eye.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, delivered a grim assessment during a U.N. Human Rights Council meeting, emphasizing how the crisis in Sudan has become a forgotten tragedy, lost in the global amnesia. Turk accused rival factions, the Sudanese Armed Forces, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, of plunging the nation into a “ruthless, senseless conflict.”

The report details the staggering impact of the conflict, with at least 14,600 dead, 26,000 injured, and a staggering 8.1 million people uprooted from their homes, making Sudan the largest displacement crisis globally. Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, U.N. special envoy for the Horn of Africa, highlighted the dire humanitarian crisis, with 18 million facing acute hunger and 25 million in need of assistance.

High Commissioner Turk underscored the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war, with 60 documented incidents across the country, mainly affecting women and girls. He expressed concern about ethnically motivated killings, the fate of civilians in arbitrary detention, and reports of child soldiers being recruited.

Moreover, Turk raised alarms about a potential armed civil militia forming, heightening the risk of Sudan sliding into a protracted civil war. Special Envoy Tetteh echoed these concerns, emphasizing the threat of a de facto partition between territories controlled by rival forces.

Sudan’s Justice Minister, Moawia Osman Mohamed Khair Mohamed Ahmed, vehemently denied allegations of the Sudanese Armed Forces instigating the conflict, citing a rebel attack against the state. He accused the Rapid Support Forces of committing atrocities, particularly in Darfur, and called for international support in investigating crimes.

High Commissioner Turk concluded with a plea for the international community to act urgently, emphasizing the people of Sudan’s unpreparedness for the level of suffering they face today. The report highlights the critical need for the warring factions to return to peace, as the future of Sudan hinges on it.