UN human rights head: Sudan conflict causing more civilian deaths

The conflict in Sudan is becoming increasingly lethal for the civilian population, UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk said in Geneva on Friday.

Türk pointed to reports that dozens had been killed in ethnically targeted attacks in the south-eastern state of al-Jazirah and to an imminent battle for control of Khartoum.

“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,” he said.

Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by de facto ruler Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, has escalated significantly in recent weeks, Türk said.

The army achieved a major success recently by retaking Wad Madani in al-Jazirah, and a battle for control of Khartoum is reported to be imminent.

Türk said his office had documented at least 21 deaths in just two attacks in al-Jazirah state, with the actual number of attacks directed at civilians and of civilians killed likely to be higher.

Retaliatory attacks of shocking brutality on entire communities based on ethnic identity were on the rise, as was incitement to violence, he said, calling for this to be stopped.

He noted drone attacks on Monday on Omdurman to the immediate west of Khartoum, with some 120 civilians reportedly killed and more than 150 injured.

The attacks had allegedly been launched by the army on a market in the Ombada Dar es Salam square, an RSF-controlled area.