The United Nations has called for urgent measures to prevent the recurrence of atrocities in Sudan and to strengthen accountability for violations committed, marking one year since the attack launched by the Rapid Support Forces on the city of El Fasher in North Darfur state. This comes amid warnings that the siege imposed on cities in Kordofan and Blue Nile may pave the way for a new wave of violence.
UN News reported on Wednesday that UN and human rights officials warned of the continued risk of mass atrocities against civilians, emphasizing the need for diplomatic, humanitarian, and judicial action to prevent a repetition of what happened in El Fasher.
Warnings of escalating violence in Kordofan and Blue Nile
In this context, Mario Pele Mare, a senior official in the Office of the UN Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide, speaking on behalf of Special Advisor Chaloka Beyani at an event held at UN Headquarters in New York coinciding with the first anniversary of the Rapid Support Forces' attack on El Fasher, stated that what happened in El Fasher a year ago pushed violence in Sudan to new levels.
The UN official expressed concern that the siege imposed on some cities in the Kordofan and Blue Nile regions could lead to a new wave of violence comparable to previously committed atrocities. Mare called for support for efforts to achieve an immediate ceasefire to prevent further crimes and protect the population, stressing the necessity of withdrawing and disarming the warring parties, the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces, from cities to prevent the recurrence of atrocities in Darfur, Kordofan, and Blue Nile.
He highlighted the importance of reaching a credible and comprehensive peace process, warning that multiple peace tracks and platforms could allow parties to exploit them for their own interests.
Calls for accountability mechanisms and justice
The UN official stressed the need to adopt a victim-centered approach to address the cycle of violence and past and ongoing violations, alongside exploring broader accountability mechanisms. These include establishing a special court, a hybrid court, or special judicial chambers, or activating the criminal jurisdiction of the African Court of Justice.
He also emphasized the need for strong and sustainable measures in transitional justice, including initiatives aimed at achieving justice and reparations.
International mission: Patterns bear the characteristics of genocide
For his part, Mohamed Shandy Osman, head of the International Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan, stated that the Mission's investigations revealed behavioral patterns bearing the characteristics of genocide in El Fasher and its surroundings. He described what occurred there as one of the largest and most serious incidents documented by the Mission since the conflict began.
Osman noted that the effects of the attack are still ongoing, with a large number of El Fasher and surrounding area residents remaining displaced. Families continue to search for relatives who disappeared during the violence, amid continued uncertainty regarding the fate of many of them.
The head of the International Independent Fact-Finding Mission stressed that protecting civilians in Sudan requires more than documenting violations after they occur; it involves continuous diplomatic engagement, accountability efforts, ensuring humanitarian access, and taking measures to address factors fueling the conflict and increasing the risk of atrocities.
Darfur Women organization: What happened in El Fasher could have been prevented
For her part, Nemat Ahmedai, president of the Darfur Women for Action organization, stated that approximately 15,000 people were killed in El Fasher in less than a month, according to her speech. She pointed out the evacuation and destruction of internally displaced persons camps, including the Zamzam camp, which housed approximately 800,000 displaced people, mostly survivors of previous genocides in Darfur.
Ahmedai added that she lost many close relatives and that families were unable even to find the bodies of their loved ones, expressing her belief that the international community has failed the Sudanese people, particularly those in Darfur.
She affirmed that what happened in El Fasher could have been prevented, pointing to the role of external parties she said provided support to the warring armed factions, and questioning how long it will take for the international community to act to stop the suffering of Sudanese people.
The city of El Fasher, capital of North Darfur state, witnessed clashes between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces, along with a long siege, before the latter launched its attack in October 2025. The UN Office of Human Rights documented the killing of more than 6,000 people during the first three days of the attack, while tens of thousands were displaced, amid international calls to hold those responsible for violations accountable.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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