United Nations Warns: Escalating Ethnic Conflict in Sudan Threatens Social Cohesion and Fuels War Crimes

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk expressed grave concern on Friday regarding the worsening conflict in Sudan, noting a sharp rise in the number of civilian casualties and the escalating ethnic nature of the conflict, which he described as "the result of years of discrimination and inequality," posing serious risks to stability and social cohesion.

In a report covering the first half of 2025, the commission documented the deaths of at least 3,384 civilians, including 990 people outside the scope of clashes, and 30 humanitarian and health workers. The report confirmed that 70% of the victims fell during shelling and armed confrontations, especially in areas like Darfur, which is witnessing an escalation based on ethnicity.

The commission also warned of the increasing use of drones to target civilian facilities, leading to the spread of violence to areas that were relatively safe, such as northern and eastern Sudan.

Commission representative in Sudan, Li Fung, stated that ethnic violence has become a major driver of violations, noting that specific groups are targeted due to their association with conflict parties, amid ongoing incidents of extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, and retaliatory attacks.

In a related context, the UN fact-finding mission reported that the Sudanese army and Rapid Support Forces committed war crimes, with accusations directed at the Rapid Support Forces for committing crimes against humanity during the siege of the city of Al-Fasher.

For his part, the Director of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Africa, Patrick Youssef, warned of the outbreak of cholera in Al-Jazeera Hospital, confirming that medical teams are becoming unable to cope with the wounded from the conflict, amid expectations of 2.1 million displaced persons returning to Khartoum by the end of the year, necessitating urgent infrastructure repairs.