UN Urges Action Against Rising Ethnic Violence in Sudan Amid Ongoing Conflict

UN High Commissioner Türk warns of escalating ethnic violence in Sudan, urging investigations and highlighting the plight of targeted communities amid a deepening humanitarian crisis.

On Friday, Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed grave concern over the escalating ethnic violence in Sudan.

As the conflict rages on, reports of assaults against civilians and incidents of hate speech are becoming alarmingly frequent.

This upheaval has already inflicted deep suffering on millions of people.

Escalating Ethnic Violence

Türk highlighted a troubling trend: acts of revenge that target entire communities solely based on their ethnic identities are on the rise.

Alongside this, there is an increase in hate-filled rhetoric and incitement to violence.

He urged immediate action to put an end to these dangerous behaviors.

Moreover, he called for swift and impartial inquiries into alleged war crimes, insisting that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) must comply with international humanitarian standards.

Türk warned that the ongoing recruitment and deployment of militia forces, particularly those organized along ethnic lines, threaten to spark a broader civil conflict as well as violence between communities.

Targeted Attacks on Communities

In the Al Jazirah region, troubling reports point to deliberate attacks against the historically marginalized Kanabi community, composed of the Nuba and various other African tribes.

Recently, two separate assaults resulted in the tragic deaths of at least 21 civilians.

On January 10, armed groups assaulted the Taiba Camp, where they set homes ablaze and plundered property, displacing many families in the process.

This attack alone claimed the lives of eight civilians and left 14 others missing.

The following day, violence erupted at Kambo Khamsa Camp, leading to the deaths of an additional 13 individuals.

These assaults are reportedly linked to the Sudan Shield Forces, a militia led by Abu Aqla Keikal, a former commander of the RSF who has since aligned himself with the SAF.

Türk described these violent acts as indicative of a troubling pattern fueled by ethnic divisions, further exacerbated by the dehumanizing hate speech aimed at targeted communities.

Humanitarian Crisis and International Response

Since the hostilities began in April 2023, the ongoing conflict has resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of lives and the displacement of millions, creating a humanitarian crisis of staggering proportions.

In response to these atrocities, the United States has recently imposed sanctions on two key figures: SAF leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, for attacks on educational institutions, markets, and hospitals, and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, for actions that may amount to genocide and ethnic cleansing.

Source: Jurist