UN report details atrocities, war crimes in Sudan as fighting intensifies
February 18, 2025 (GENEVA) – A UN report documents widespread human rights violations and abuses in Sudan, including ethnically motivated killings, sexual violence, and attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, as the conflict escalates and involves more armed actors. The report calls for greater international pressure for accountability and an arms embargo expansion.
The UN Human Rights Office report, covering events primarily from April 2023 to November 2024, details attacks on populated areas, displacement camps, hospitals, markets, and schools. It highlights a pattern of attacks against medical facilities, citing nine incidents between May 9 and June 23, 2024, targeting healthcare in El Fasher, mostly attributed to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
“The continued and deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian objects, as well as summary executions, sexual violence and other violations and abuses, underscore the utter failure by both parties to respect the rules and principles of international humanitarian and human rights law,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. “Some of these acts may amount to war crimes. They must be investigated promptly and independently, with a view to bringing those responsible to justice.”
The report calls for further investigation into possible atrocity crimes. It urges the international community to broaden the existing arms embargo and extend the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction to cover all of Sudan, not just Darfur.
Conflict-related sexual violence remains a significant concern. The report documented approximately 120 incidents between April 2023 and November 2024, affecting at least 203 victims, including 162 women and 36 girls. The UN notes underreporting due to stigma, fear of reprisals, and the collapse of institutions. “The persistent use of sexual violence as a weapon of war in Sudan is deeply shocking,” said Türk.
The fighting has triggered the world’s largest displacement crisis and a severe food security emergency, with half the population facing acute hunger and famine conditions in at least five locations. Health and education have also been severely impacted, with an estimated 70 to 80 per cent of health facilities non-functional and over 90 per cent of school-aged children out of formal education.
The report documents over 4,200 civilian killings in 2024 alone, acknowledging the actual number is likely much higher. Among the deadliest incidents, at least 141 civilians were killed in Al-Seriha and Azraq in October 2024, allegedly by the RSF. Another incident in El Fasher in October, potentially an airstrike by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), resulted in at least 50 civilian deaths.
“As fighting intensifies for control of Khartoum and El Fasher, I remain very concerned about the protection of civilians, particularly those belonging to groups that have been subjected to persistent discrimination,” Türk added. He emphasized that accountability is crucial to ending the cycle of violence and impunity.
The report will be presented to the Human Rights Council on February 27.