UN warns of hostilities in Sudan’s Al-Fasher, urges protecting civilians

UN human rights chief Volker Turk on Thursday sounded the alarm over intensified fighting Al-Fasher in Sudan's North Darfur, calling for immediate action to stop the fighting and respect the Jeddah Declaration for the protection of civilians. In a statement issued from Geneva, Turk expressed deep concern over the escalation of fighting between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces in the city of Al-Fasher which has been under siege since last May. "In the heaviest recent fighting on 20 to 21 September at least 20 civilians were killed by artillery shelling near the main market" he said, adding that the actual number of civilian casualties is believed to be much higher but telecommunications blackouts have made verification difficult. Turk said that in the past two weeks the UN Human Rights Office has documented cases of summary executions, sexual and gender-based violence and reported abductions of at least five women and several young men in Al-Fasher. He added that there are repo rts of large-scale arbitrary arrests by the RSF in North and South Darfur, accusing civilians of providing information and coordinates of their whereabouts to the SAF. "From bitter past experience if Al-Fasher falls, there is a high risk of ethnically targeted violations and abuses including summary executions and sexual violence by the RSF and allied militia," Turk said highlighting particular concerns for residents of Abu Shouk IDP camp which has been under sustained RSF shelling since May and Zamzam IDP camp. "People in these camps are at grave risk of reprisal attacks based on their tribal identity" he added. The High Commissioner pointed to the findings of monitoring missions to eastern Chad by the UN Human Rights Office which documented horrific patterns of ethnically targeted violations and abuses specifically against the Masalit community after the RSF took control of Al-Geneina and Ardamata in West Darfur in June and November 2023. Turk also highlighted concerns about the escalation of hostilitie s and increasing civilian casualties in other parts of the country including in greater Khartoum and in Sennar state. He also called on the international community, including through the UN Security Council, to take necessary effective action to protect civilians in Sudan and to ensure respect for international law by all parties. Source: Kuwait News Agency