Sudan’s people endure ‘horror and hell’ in war, says UN rights chief

Volker Turk, the UN’s representative for Sudan, claims that Sudan’s people are still living in severe conditions and are being forced to flee.

Turk made the remarks during his first visit to Sudan since the war broke out in April 2023 that it was “despicable” that money was being used to “adjust the suffering of the population,” not to mention drones.

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The UN has repeatedly warned about foreign actors’ involvement in Sudan’s civil war.

Despite Abu Dhabi’s persistent denial, the United Arab Emirates has been repeatedly accused of providing the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) with weapons, support, and political backing.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia support the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Iran and Turkiye reportedly gave the army weapons, including drones.

Turk, however, claimed from Port Sudan, on the coast of Sudan, that the nation was “affected by the increasing militarisation of society by all parties to the conflict, including through the arming of civilians and the recruitment and use of children.”

After the SAF and RSF fought to oust themselves from power in 2023, the nation was plunged into a bloody civil war.

Horrific violations

The UN rights chief warned of similar crimes taking place in the Kordofan region, the epicenter of the conflict right now, after hearing testimony about “unbearable” atrocities committed by survivors of attacks in Darfur.

The “commanders of this conflict and those who are arming, funding, and profiting from this war” must hear the testimony, he said.

Regardless of affiliation, Turk urged that repeated attacks on civilian infrastructure could lead to “war crimes” and that “we must ensure that these horrific violations are brought to justice.”

The UN chief urged both sides to “cease intolerable attacks against civilian targets, including markets, hospitals, schools, and shelters,” according to the UN chief.

Both sides of the conflict have been accused of committing war crimes, but the RSF was the one who was alleged by monitoring groups of killing at least 1,500 people during its capture of El-Fasher in Darfur in October.

Out of a population of 46.8 million, 30.4 million people in Sudan need humanitarian assistance, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Particularly in the Darfur and Kordofan regions, the population is experiencing acute food insecurity and a nutrition crisis. Disease outbreaks are also aggravated by the situation at the same time.