The UN human rights council has given unanimous backing to a fresh, independent investigation into mass killings reported in the Sudanese city of el-Fasher.
Our wake-up calls were not heeded. Bloodstains on the ground in el-Fasher have been photographed from space. The stain on the record of the international community is less visible, but no less damaging, UN human rights chief Volker Türk said at an emergency meeting in Geneva on Friday.
Since the civil war began over two years ago, more than 150,000 people have been killed and about 12 million have been forced from their homes.
The new investigation is mandated to identify those who ordered and carried out the massacre in el-Fasher. The findings could be shared with the International Criminal Court.
While Türk did warn individuals and companies fuelling and profiting from Sudan's war, disappointment arose as the mandate did not directly address other countries allegedly sponsoring the conflict. Accusations have surfaced regarding the UAE's support to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Iran supplying the Sudanese army.
Concerns were raised that the cash-strapped UN might lack the resources for a credible inquiry as el-Fasher had been seized by the RSF following an 18-month siege.
The RSF has been accused of targeting non-Arab communities in Darfur, despite denying the allegations. The conflict has unfolded with shocking brutality, evidenced by the digital circulation of footage documenting horrific acts.
UN experts have called the ongoing situation in el-Fasher unprecedented in its severity, with reports of mass killings, torture, and systematic starvation. A G7 statement condemned the escalation of violence, labeling it the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
As the US and allies push for intervention and accountability, responses from implicated nations have been defensive, complicating the potential for a unified international stance. There remains urgent need for effective humanitarian aid and resolution to the ongoing crisis.
