UN rights chief decries ‘horror’ in Sudan, cites El Fasher attack, executions
May 1, 2025 (GENEVA) – The U.N. human rights chief on Friday decried the “horror” unfolding in Sudan, citing deadly recent attacks by paramilitary forces on the besieged city of El Fasher and disturbing reports of extrajudicial executions in the Khartoum area.
Volker Türk, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, warned of potentially worse bloodshed to come amid fighting between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
“The horror unfolding in Sudan knows no bounds,” Türk said in a statement released in Geneva.
He said the RSF launched coordinated attacks on El Fasher and the nearby Abu Shouk displacement camp three days ago, killing at least 40 civilians. This brought the confirmed civilian death toll in North Darfur state to at least 542 in the past three weeks alone, though Türk noted the actual figure is likely much higher.
“My fears are all the greater given the ominous warning by the RSF of ‘bloodshed’ ahead of imminent battles with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and their associated armed movements,” Türk stated, adding, “Everything must be done to protect civilians trapped amid dire conditions in and around El Fasher.”
Türk also highlighted “extremely disturbing” reports of extrajudicial executions in Khartoum state. He pointed to videos circulating on social media allegedly showing armed men in RSF uniforms rounding up and executing at least 30 men in civilian clothes in Al Salha, southern Omdurman. He noted that an RSF field commander subsequently acknowledged the killings in another video.
These reports follow other recent accounts of alleged extrajudicial executions of dozens accused of collaborating with the RSF in southern Khartoum, reportedly committed by the SAF-aligned Al Baraa Brigade, Türk added.
“Deliberately taking the life of a civilian or anyone no longer directly taking part in hostilities is a war crime,” the High Commissioner stressed.
Türk said he had personally alerted the leaders of both the RSF and SAF to the “catastrophic human rights consequences” of the ongoing war.
“These harrowing consequences are a daily, lived reality for millions of Sudanese,” he said. “It is well past time for this conflict to stop.”