UN Human Rights Chief Condemns Growing Ethnic Nature of Sudan’s War

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on Friday expressed concern over the worsening conflict in Sudan, with a sharp rise in civilian deaths amid the “escalating ethnic dimension” of the war and a deepening humanitarian crisis.

In a statement on a report covering the first six months of the year, Volker Türk warned that “the growing ethnic character of the conflict, rooted in years of discrimination and inequality, poses grave risks to stability and social cohesion in the long term.”

More than two years into the war between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the UN Human Rights Office has warned of increased use of drones, particularly in attacks on civilian infrastructure, affecting “areas in northern and eastern Sudan that had previously been relatively spared.”

While noting that the actual death toll may be far higher, the UN documented at least 3,384 civilian deaths between January and June—about 80% of the total recorded in 2024. The majority of civilians (70%) were killed in shelling and clashes.

The UN also reported at least 990 civilian deaths, including children, outside direct clashes, such as through summary executions, and noted that at least 30 humanitarian and health workers were killed during the same period.

Since the war broke out in April 2023, tens of thousands have been killed and millions displaced.

The report stated that the atrocities documented last year have continued this year, including “widespread sexual violence, indiscriminate attacks, and the use of violence as retaliation against civilians, including along ethnic lines, targeting individuals accused of cooperating with the rival party.”

Türk said: “This violence, in all its horrific forms, must end. Impunity continues to fuel cycles of violations and abuses. This catastrophic situation is marked by criminal atrocities, including war crimes.”

He urged states to use their influence to end the conflict, which, according to the UN, has caused the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with famine declared in several regions and a dangerous spread of cholera.

In early September, a UN-mandated fact-finding mission reported that both sides had committed war crimes, and also accused the RSF of crimes against humanity, particularly in the context of the siege of El Fasher.