The UN human rights chief on Friday warned that the conflict in Sudan is taking "an even more dangerous turn" for civilians amid reports of dozens killed in ethnically targeted attacks in Al Jazirah and an imminent battle for control of Khartoum.
The conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, continuing since April 2023, has claimed thousands of lives and forced millions from their homes.
"As the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) battle for control at all costs in the senseless war that has raged for close to two years now, direct and ethnically motivated attacks on civilians are becoming increasingly common," Volker Turk said in a statement.
Turk stressed that 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 warned.
According to the UN human rights office, in the last week alone, at least 21 deaths in just two attacks in Al Jazirah state were documented. The office said that the actual number of attacks directed at civilians and of civilians killed are "very likely higher."
"Retaliatory attacks – of shocking brutality – on entire communities based on real or perceived ethnic identity are on the rise, as is hate speech and incitement to violence. This must, urgently, be brought to an end," Turk said.
The office said that "serious concerns" also persist for civilians in North Darfur, where "ethnically motivated attacks by the RSF and its allied Arab militias against African ethnic groups, particularly the Zaghawa and the Fur, continue to exact a horrific toll."
Turk renewed his call on both parties to uphold obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law, saying attacks must never be directed against civilians.
He also warned that the proliferation of militia recruitment and mobilization of fighters, largely along ethnic lines, risks "unleashing a broader civil war and inter-communal violence."
"The SAF and the RSF are responsible for the actions of groups and individuals fighting on their behalf," he said. "The SAF and RSF must take immediate measures to ensure the protection of all civilians, including by taking all feasible measures to avoid or at the very least minimise harm to civilians in the conduct of hostilities."
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