Press release
Geneva – March 3, 2024
A report from the UN Human Rights Office details horrific violations and abuses by both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the ongoing armed conflict in Sudan. The comprehensive report covers the period from April to December 2023 and paints a grim picture of indiscriminate attacks, displacement, sexual violence, and child conscription, highlighting the urgent need for accountability and an end to the cycle of violence.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, expressed profound concern, stating, “For nearly a year now, accounts coming out of Sudan have been of death, suffering, and despair, as the senseless conflict and human rights violations and abuses have persisted with no end in sight. The guns must be silenced, and civilians must be protected. A credible re-start of inclusive talks to restore civilian-led government is desperately needed to open a path forward.”
The report, based on interviews with 303 victims and witnesses, as well as analysis of various sources, exposes the use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas by both parties. It recounts specific incidents, such as SAF-fired missiles in Khartoum causing 45 civilian deaths and RSF artillery shells hitting a market in Omdurman, killing at least 15 civilians. In Darfur, the RSF conducted ethnically motivated attacks, resulting in thousands of deaths, particularly in El-Geneina, where at least ten civilians were killed in a bus station explosion.
By mid-December 2023, more than 6.7 million people had been displaced, increasing to over eight million. The report also reveals disturbing instances of sexual violence, with at least 118 individuals subjected to rape, gang rape, and attempted rape, including 19 children. Türk emphasized the need for immediate, impartial investigations into these heinous crimes.
The report sheds light on the recruitment of young men, including children, by both SAF and RSF, with children forcibly conscripted from Arab tribes in Darfur and Kordofan. Türk asserted, “Some of these violations would amount to war crimes. There must be prompt, thorough, effective, transparent, independent, and impartial investigations into all allegations of violations and abuses of international human rights and violations of international humanitarian law, and those responsible must be brought to justice.”
Türk also called for unimpeded access to humanitarian aid, emphasizing the critical need for both conflicting parties to ensure swift assistance to affected areas under their control. The report stands as a stark call to the international community to address the escalating crisis in Sudan and put an end to the suffering endured by the Sudanese people
