Human Rights Council hears of ongoing risk of further genocidal violence in Sudan

Nearly three years of war in Sudan have been marked by killings, rape and other violations, with risk of genocidal violence spreading, the UN Human Rights Council heard on Thursday. The brutal conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) was the focus of debate as the Geneva-based Council holds its first session of the year. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk delivered remarks alongside Mohamed Chande Othman, Chair of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan established by the Council in October 2023.

Mr. Türk presented his latest report, outlining “yet another chapter in the chronicle of cruelty.” As fighting has intensified, violations by all parties have surged “while accountability has remained practically absent,” he said. Documentation by his office, OHCHR, “points to over a two and a half times increase in killings of civilians” in 2025, compared with the previous year. Latest data indicates that at least 11,300 civilians were killed last year – nearly triple the number in 2024 – while many thousands are still missing or unidentified.

Women’s bodies ‘weaponised’
Both the RSF and the Sudanese army have continued to use explosive weapons in densely populated areas, and often without warning, displaying “utter disregard for human life,” the High Commissioner said. Schools, hospitals, markets, religious sites and critical infrastructure have all been attacked. “The bodies of Sudanese women and girls have been weaponised to terrorize communities,” he added

“In 2025, we identified over 500 victims of sexual violence, including rape, gang rape, sexual torture, and slavery – in some cases resulting in death. And when I was in Sudan earlier this year, I listened to the harrowing testimonies of at least 10 of them.”

Read more>>

Source: The UN