By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – UN human rights chief Volker Türk said on Thursday that the fight for Khartoum, likely involved widespread summary executions of civilians after its recent recapture by the Sudanese Armed Forces.
He cited credible reports of extrajudicial killings in several areas of the capital.
Mr. Turk said that the victims were suspected of collaborating with rival Rapid Support Forces fighters.
“I urge the commanders of the Sudanese Armed Forces to take immediate measures to put an end to arbitrary deprivation of life,” insisted Mr. Türk.
He pointed to reports attributing the killings to SAF soldiers, State security personnel and affiliated militias.
Mr. Turk comments follow the review of “multiple horrific videos” available on social media since 26 March, apparently filmed in southern and eastern Khartoum and showing armed men “some in uniform and others in civilian clothes” executing civilians.
OHCHR office stressed that in some of the video footage, perpetrators state that they are punishing supporters of RSF.
Mr. Turk added that he was “utterly appalled” by the development.
One report from the Janoub Al Hezam area of southern Khartoum apparently showed the alleged killing of at least 20 civilians, including one woman, by SAF and affiliated supporters.
“Extrajudicial killings are serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law,” Mr. Türk said.
“Individual perpetrators, as well as those with command responsibility, must be held accountable for such unacceptable actions under international criminal law.”
Sudan’s spiraling crisis boosts from the breakdown of a transition to civilian rule after the overthrow of long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir in 2019.
Türk visited the country as High Commissioner in November 2022 and he has invested heavily in trying to protect Sudanese people from heavy fighting and the catastrophic humanitarian crisis that has gripped the country.
In May 2024 he spoke to rival generals Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan of the SAF and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, head of the RSF, in an effort to pursue a peaceful resolution to the crisis.
Mr. Turk warned more than 600,000 people are on the brink of starvation in Sudan after nearly two years of fighting.
“Famine is reported to have taken hold in five areas, including Zamzam displacement camp in North Darfur,” Mr. Türk said.
He referred to the shelter where the WFP was forced to suspend its lifesaving operations after intense fighting.
Turk told the council members earlier that five more areas could face famine in coming months and a further 17 are at risk.
“My own staff heard harrowing testimonies of death from starvation in Khartoum and Omdurman.”
In an alert, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, warned that 250,000 people mostly women, children and older people had fled violence in the Al Malha area, around 180 kilometres north of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state.
“Many are now scattered across 15 villages, lacking even basic necessities, the OCHA said.
It highlighted that the UN migration agency, said that 75,000 people had been displaced because of clashes.
“The newly reported figure would mark a very significant escalation in displacement and signal a serious deterioration in an already dire humanitarian situation across North Darfur,” OCHA said.
In eastern Sudan, humanitarian partners continue to respond to a hepatitis outbreak spreading among displaced communities at the Gharb Al Matar displacement site in Kassala state.
OCHA noted that between 27 and 31 March, more than 60 new suspected cases were reported which bring the total to 236 cases in less than a month.
The outbreak is being driven by overcrowded living conditions, poor sanitation and limited healthcare.
OCHA said that 8.8 million people have been forced from their homes to camps and other locations within Sudan; 3.5 million more have fled across borders.
Over 30.4 million people need assistance, from healthcare to food and other forms of humanitarian support.
Less than 30 per cent of hospitals and clinics are still working, and outbreaks of disease are rampant in displacement camps.
Mr. Türk in a statement expressed concern at the rise in online hate speech and incitement to violence in Sudan, “with lists of individuals accused of collaborating with the RSF posted online”.
He warned that ethnic groups from the Darfur and Kordofan regions were being targeted disproportionately, before calling for the Sudanese authorities to launch independent, transparent and effective investigations into the latest incidents.
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