
At least 542 civilians have been killed in Sudan's North Darfur region in the past three weeks, but "the true number is likely much higher," the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said today.
"The horror of what is happening in Sudan knows no borders. Just three days ago, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched coordinated attacks from different directions on the besieged town of El Fasher and the Abu Souk camp, killing at least 40 civilians," Volker Turk said in a statement.
El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, is the last major city in the entire region that still remains in the hands of the regular army under the command of al-Burhan, who has been at war since April 2023 with the WYD paramilitaries, under the command of his right-hand man and since then sworn enemy, General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
"Everything must be done to protect civilians trapped in deplorable conditions in and around El Fasher," the UN official suggested.
He expresses concern because the UN has already warned that there will be a "bloodbath" ahead of the battles against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
Turk also described as "extremely shocking" the mass executions of dozens of people in recent weeks in the area of the capital Khartoum, which was recaptured by the Sudanese Armed Forces.
"Harrowing videos circulating on social media show at least 30 men in civilian clothes being arrested and executed by armed men in IDF uniforms in Al-Salha, south of Omdurman," a city opposite Khartoum.
“In a later video, a DTY commander admitted to the killings,” Turk said.
The executions follow the killings of dozens of people a few weeks ago for collaborating with the ISI, the official recalled.
"I have personally briefed the leaders of the IDF and CTF on the devastating human rights consequences of this war. These painful consequences are a daily reality for millions of Sudanese. "It is time to end this conflict," he concluded.