The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, stated that drone attacks continue to claim civilian lives within the Kordofan region of Sudan, despite the army breaking a long-standing siege on two cities controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the south of the country.
The Sudanese army reported that it ended the RSF siege on the city of Dilling in late January and the city of Kadugli in early February. Residents there had suffered from hunger and faced medicine shortages due to the blockade of supplies.
During a briefing on Sudan at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Türk said, “Air strikes by both sides using drones are still ongoing, resulting in the killing and wounding of dozens of civilians.” He added that his office documented 90 deaths and 142 injuries among civilians resulting from drone strikes launched by the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces between late January and February 6.
Türk explained that thousands of residents from El Fasher remain missing, and some have undoubtedly died, while others are believed to be detained in conditions he described as inhumane. Human rights activists expressed fears that these two cities (Dilling and Kadugli) could face the same fate as El Fasher in the Darfur region in October 2025, when it fell to the RSF after a long siege followed by mass killings.
The “Catastrophe” of the Seizure of El Fasher
The High Commissioner emphasized that the atrocities committed during the RSF takeover of El Fasher were an avoidable catastrophe, expressing concerns over a repeat of similar events in Kordofan. Türk said, “My office has long warned of the risk of mass atrocities in El Fasher, which remained under siege for more than a year.” He added, “We have previously documented patterns of these atrocities on several occasions, including during the RSF attack to seize the Zamzam camp. The threat was clear, but our warnings were ignored.” Multiple reports have confirmed that the RSF battles to control El Fasher involved massacres, rapes, and kidnappings.
Türk maintained that “the responsibility for these atrocities lies entirely with the RSF, its allies, and those who support them,” stressing that “the international community must exert greater effort.” He added, “If we remain idle, lamenting our luck while armies and armed groups commit international crimes, we can expect nothing but the worst.”
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