\n
<\/p>\n
The agency has received\u00a0reports of summary executions of civilians trying to escape what was the last Sudanese military government stronghold of El Fasher \u2013 with indications of ethnic motivations for killings \u2013 and of former combatants who have put down their weapons, which is prohibited under humanitarian law.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe risk of further large-scale, ethnically motivated violations and atrocities in El Fasher is mounting by the day<\/strong>,\u201d warned UN human rights chief Volker T\u00fcrk.<\/p>\n \u201cUrgent and concrete action needs to be taken to ensure the protection of civilians in El Fasher and safe passage for those trying to reach relative safety.\u201d<\/p>\n The alarming reports come as the humanitarian situation in Sudan continues to deteriorate since the outbreak of the conflict in 2023. With more than\u00a012 million people displaced or stateless and over\u00a024 million hungry, Sudan\u2019s crisis is considered to be one of the world\u2019s most severe.<\/p>\n Hundreds of people have reportedly been detained while trying to flee, including a journalist, OHCHR said. There were also reports of numerous civilian deaths, including local humanitarian volunteers, due to heavy artillery shelling last week.<\/p>\n The UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres\u00a0told reporters while in Southeast Asia on Monday that the development marked a \u201cterrible escalation\u201d<\/strong> to the conflict, stressing that it was time for the international community to call out countries which are interfering in the war and \u201cproviding weapons\u201d to the warring parties, urging them to agree a ceasefire.<\/p>\n Mr. Guterres noted that the problem is not only the fighting between the army and the RSF, but also the growing \u201cexternal interference\u201d<\/strong> that undermines prospects for a ceasefire and a political solution.<\/p>\n \u201cCivilians escaping, fleeing El Fasher are often held for ransom along the road, part of the road being controlled by militia,\u201d said Denise Brown, UN humanitarian coordinator for Sudan, at Monday\u2019s press briefing.<\/p>\n She said humanitarian organizations have been receiving adults and children who are \u201cdehydrated, malnourished, some injured and all traumatised.\u201d<\/p>\n According to reports received by the OHCHR, five men were executed by the RSF for attempting to bring food supplies into the city, which has been under a blockade by the RSF militia \u2013 vying for power during a brutal civil war with the military \u2013 for 18 months.<\/p>\n Ms. Brown said that some of the RSF\u2019s victims were supposedly accused of supporting the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and that the information received suggests dozens of civilians have been killed.<\/p>\n She highlighted that the dire funding situation, only 27 per cent of the ask, has not allowed the UN to response to the needs of people who are \u2018traumatised, raped and starving.\u2019<\/p>\n Nearly 130 aid workers have been killed since the conflict erupted in April 2023, and there have been reports of volunteers being killed in El Fasher, Ms. Brown said.<\/p>\n\u2018Urgent and concrete action\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\u2018External interference\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Malnourished and traumatised<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Humanitarian workers at risk<\/strong><\/h2>\n