\n
<\/p>\n
His warning comes in the wake of reports that dozens were brutally killed in ethnically targeted attacks in Al Jazirah state in the southeast, and amid reports of an imminent battle for control of the country\u2019s capital, Khartoum.<\/p>\n
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and a rival military, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been fighting since April 2023 in what Mr. T\u00fcrk called a \u201csenseless war\u201d.<\/p>\n
As they \u201cbattle for control at all costs\u2026direct and ethnically motivated attacks on civilians are becoming increasingly common<\/strong>,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n \u201cThe situation for civilians in Sudan is already desperate, and there is evidence of the commission of war crimes and other atrocity crimes<\/strong>. I fear the situation is now taking a further, even more dangerous turn,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n In the last week alone, his office, OHCHR, documented at least 21 deaths in just two attacks on camps in Al Jazirah, located some 40 kilometres from the state capital, Wad Madani.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n However, the actual number of attacks directed at civilians, and of civilians killed, are likely to be higher.\u00a0<\/p>\n On 10 January, at least eight civilians were killed in an attack on Taiba Camp, and at least 13 women and one man were abducted. Houses were burnt and livestock, crops and other property looted, while dozens of families were displaced.\u00a0<\/p>\n The next day, at least 13 civilians were killed, including two boys, in an assault on Khamsa Camp.\u00a0<\/p>\n The attacks came in the context of the recapture of Wad Madani by the SAF. Reports suggest they were carried out by the Sudan Shield Forces led by Abu Aqla Keikal, a former RSF commander who defected to the other side last October.\u00a0<\/p>\n The attacks reportedly\u00a0targeted the Kanabi, a historically marginalised group comprised mainly of Nuba and other African tribes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Mr. T\u00fcrk noted the Sudanese authorities\u2019 assurance that the attacks\u00a0would be fully investigated and those responsible brought to justice, and that an investigation committee has been established.<\/p>\n \u201cRetaliatory attacks \u2013 of shocking brutality \u2013 on entire communities based on real or perceived ethnic identity are on the rise, as is hate speech and incitement to violence. This must, urgently, be brought to an end,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n OHCHR received three videos that document scenes of violence, including\u00a0unlawful killings. They were reportedly filmed in Wad Madani, with men in SAF uniforms visibly present.<\/p>\n In the videos, victims were dehumanised and denigrated as\u00a0\u201cWassekh\u201d (dirt), \u201cAfan\u201d (mould), \u201cBeheema\u201d (animal) and \u201cAbnaa E-dheif\u201d (bastards), and summary executions were hailed by perpetrators as \u201cNadhafa\u201d (a cleaning operation).\u00a0<\/p>\n Serious concerns also persist for civilians in North Darfur, where ethnically motivated attacks by the RSF and its allied Arab militias against African ethnic groups, particularly the Zaghawa and the Fur, continue to exact a horrific toll.\u00a0<\/p>\n Separately, some 120 civilians were reportedly killed and more than 150 injured in drone attacks in the city of Omdurman, on 13 January, allegedly launched by the SAF on a market in the Ombada Dar es Salam square, an RSF-controlled area.<\/p>\n Mr. T\u00fcrk reiterated his call for the fighting to end, and for the warring sides to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law.\u00a0<\/p>\n He also warned the proliferation of militia recruitment and mobilization of fighters \u2013 largely along ethnic lines \u2013 risks unleashing a broader civil war and inter-communal violence.<\/p>\nAttacks on camps<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Authorities promise investigation<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Violence captured on video<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Concern for North Darfur<\/strong><\/h2>\n
End the fighting<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Appeal to warring sides<\/strong><\/h2>\n