Sudan war becomes more deadly as ethnically motivated attacks rise

This article is published in association with United Nations.

The conflict in Sudan is taking an “even more dangerous turn for civilians”, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said on Friday. 

His warning comes in the wake of reports that dozens were brutally killed in ethnically targeted attacks in Al Jazirah state in the southeast, and amid reports of an imminent battle for control of the country’s capital, Khartoum.

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and a rival military, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been fighting since April 2023 in what Mr. Türk called a “senseless war”.

Desperate situation worsens

As they “battle for control at all costs…direct and ethnically motivated attacks on civilians are becoming increasingly common,” he noted.

“The situation for civilians in Sudan is already desperate, and there is evidence of the commission of war crimes and other atrocity crimes. I fear the situation is now taking a further, even more dangerous turn,” he said.

Attacks on camps

In the last week alone, his office, OHCHR, documented at least 21 deaths in just two attacks on camps in Al Jazirah, located some 40 kilometres from the state capital, Wad Madani.  

However, the actual number of attacks directed at civilians, and of civilians killed, are likely to be higher. 

On 10 January, at least eight civilians were killed in an attack on Taiba Camp, and at least 13 women and one man were abducted. Houses were burnt and livestock, crops and other property looted, while dozens of families were displaced. 

The next day, at least 13 civilians were killed, including two boys, in an assault on Khamsa Camp. 

Authorities promise investigation

The attacks came in the context of the recapture of Wad Madani by the SAF. Reports suggest they were carried out by the Sudan Shield Forces led by Abu Aqla Keikal, a former RSF commander who defected to the other side last October. 

The attacks reportedly targeted the Kanabi, a historically marginalised group comprised mainly of Nuba and other African tribes.

Mr. Türk noted the Sudanese authorities’ assurance that the attacks would be fully investigated and those responsible brought to justice, and that an investigation committee has been established.

“Retaliatory attacks – of shocking brutality – on entire communities based on real or perceived ethnic identity are on the rise, as is hate speech and incitement to violence. This must, urgently, be brought to an end,” he said.

Violence captured on video

OHCHR received three videos that document scenes of violence, including unlawful killings. They were reportedly filmed in Wad Madani, with men in SAF uniforms visibly present.

In the videos, victims were dehumanised and denigrated as “Wassekh” (dirt), “Afan” (mould), “Beheema” (animal) and “Abnaa E-dheif” (bastards), and summary executions were hailed by perpetrators as “Nadhafa” (a cleaning operation). 

Concern for North Darfur

Serious concerns also persist for civilians in North Darfur, where ethnically motivated attacks by the RSF and its allied Arab militias against African ethnic groups, particularly the Zaghawa and the Fur, continue to exact a horrific toll. 

Separately, some 120 civilians were reportedly killed and more than 150 injured in drone attacks in the city of Omdurman, on 13 January, allegedly launched by the SAF on a market in the Ombada Dar es Salam square, an RSF-controlled area.

End the fighting

Mr. Türk reiterated his call for the fighting to end, and for the warring sides to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law. 

He also warned the proliferation of militia recruitment and mobilization of fighters – largely along ethnic lines – risks unleashing a broader civil war and inter-communal violence.

Appeal to warring sides

“The SAF and the RSF are responsible for the actions of groups and individuals fighting on their behalf,” he said. 

He urged them to “take immediate measures to ensure the protection of all civilians, including by taking all feasible measures to avoid or at the very least minimise harm to civilians in the conduct of hostilities.”

Prompt, independent, impartial and transparent investigations into all reports of violations and abuses are crucial, he added.