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GENEVA: The United Nations called Thursday for urgent action to prevent “large-scale, ethnically-driven attacks and atrocities” in Sudan’s besieged western city of El-Fasher.
The call from the UN rights office came after reports that long-range drones were being pre-positioned by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support forces in South Darfur, raising fears of a large attack on the North Darfur city of El-Fasher in coming days.
The RSF is currently waging its fiercest assault yet on El-Fasher, which is the last major city in the vast western region of Darfur still under control of the country’s regular army.
“After over 500 days of unremitting siege by the RSF and incessant fighting, El-Fasher is on the precipice of an even greater catastrophe if urgent measures are not taken loosen the armed vice upon the city and to protect civilians,” UN rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement.
Following persistent reports of serious violence against those fleeing the city, including summary executions and torture, Turk insisted that “atrocities are not inevitable.”
“They can be averted if all actors take concrete action to uphold international law, demand respect for civilian life and property, and prevent the continued commission of atrocity crimes.”
Since April 2023, the war between the RSF and the country’s regular army has killed tens of thousands and created the world’s largest hunger and displacement crisis.
Between September 19 and 29 alone, Turk’s office said at least 91 civilians were killed in RSF artillery shelling, drone strikes and ground incursions.
This “appears to be an effort to force the mass displacement of civilians from El-Fasher,” it warned.
Turk demanded protection for civilians remaining in El-Fasher, including those who may be unable to leave like the elderly and disabled, and called for parties to the conflict to allow in desperately-needed aid.
He described the “unimaginable difficulty” facing civilians there, decrying the continued arbitrary RSF restrictions on bringing food and essential supplies into the city, and citing credible reports of civilians tortured and killed by RSF fighters for doing so.
He also insisted that the “safe and voluntary passage of civilians must be ensured out of El-Fasher, and throughout their movement along key exit routes.”
Turk highlighted the high risk of ethnically-motivated violations and abuses, like those that took place during the earlier RSF offensive on the Zamzam displacement camp south of El-Fasher in April, including the systematic use of sexual violence targeting Zaghawa women and girls.