The horror unfolding in Sudan knows no bounds. Just three days ago, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched coordinated attacks from multiple directions on the besieged city of El Fasher and Abu Shouk camp, killing at least 40 civilians. This brings the confirmed number of civilians killed in North Darfur to at least 542 in just the last three weeks. The actual death toll is likely much higher.
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My fears are all the greater given the ominous warning by the RSF of “bloodshed” ahead of imminent battles with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and their associated armed movements. Everything must be done to protect civilians trapped amid dire conditions in and around El Fasher.
Reports of extrajudicial executions in Khartoum state are also extremely disturbing. Horrific videos circulating on social media show at least 30 men in civilian clothing being rounded up and executed by armed men in RSF uniforms in Al Salha in southern Omdurman. In a subsequent video, an RSF field commander acknowledged the killings. This follows further shocking reports in recent weeks of the extrajudicial execution of dozens of people accused of collaborating with the RSF in southern Khartoum, allegedly committed by the Al Baraa Brigade. Deliberately taking the life of a civilian or anyone no longer directly taking part in hostilities is a war crime.
I have personally alerted both leaders of the RSF and SAF to the catastrophic human rights consequences of this war. These harrowing consequences are a daily, lived reality for millions of Sudanese. It is well past time for this conflict to stop.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations: Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
