UN rights chief warns of new 'wave of atrocities' in Sudan's Kordofan region

Volker Turk urges an immediate end to fighting as civilian deaths mount and famine deepens.

Dec 04, 2025

Asha Kano Kavi, displaced from Kadugli, serves boiled wild leaves to orphaned children at Bruam IDP Camp in South Kordofan, Sudan, on June 22, 2024. / Reuters

The UN human rights chief warned on Thursday that he feared "another wave of atrocities" in Sudan as fierce clashes escalate across the Kordofan region involving the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N).

Since October 25, when the RSF captured Bara city in North Kordofan, the UN human rights office has documented at least 269 civilian deaths from aerial strikes, artillery shelling and summary executions.

With telecommunications and internet outages hampering reporting, the true toll is likely far higher, Volker Turk said in a statement.

According to the statement, the office has also received reports of retaliatory killings, arbitrary detention, abductions, sexual violence and forced recruitment, including of children.

Many civilians have been detained on accusations of "collaborating" with opposing groups, Turk said, while hateful and divisive speech is raising fears of further violence.

"It is truly shocking to see history repeating itself in Kordofan so soon after the horrific events in Al Fasher," he said. "The international community stood united then, unequivocally condemning the barbarous violations and destruction. We must not allow Kordofan to become another Al Fasher."

Deadly attacks have continued across the three Kordofan states in recent weeks. On November 3, an RSF drone strike on a mourning tent in El Obeid reportedly killed 45 people, mostly women. On November 29, an SAF aerial strike in Kauda, South Kordofan, reportedly killed at least 48 people, most of them civilians, the statement noted.

Kadugli and Dilling in South Kordofan remain besieged by RSF and SPLM-N forces, with famine confirmed in Kadugli and looming in Dilling, it added. El Obeid is partially surrounded by RSF, and "all parties are blocking humanitarian access."

"We cannot remain silent in front of yet another man-made catastrophe," Turk said, adding that this fighting must end immediately, and life-saving aid must be allowed to reach those who face starvation.

More than 45,000 people have fled their homes in the past month, Turk said, calling for safe passage, protection of humanitarian workers and the restoration of telecommunications.

He urged states with influence to halt arms flows fueling the conflict.

"Have we not learned our lessons from the past? We cannot stand idly by and allow more Sudanese to become victims of horrific human rights violations. We must act, and this war must stop now," he urged.

SOURCE:AA