Arbitrary civilian deaths in Sudan surged to triple their previous level between February and April, largely because General al-Burhan’s army (SAF) executed suspected Rapid Support Forces collaborators in Khartoum, U.N. human-rights chief Volker Türk said Monday.
Opening the U.N. Human Rights Council’s 59th session, Türk warned that mounting violations in North Darfur and Kordofan show Sudan “spiralling into lawlessness” while the world’s attention is elsewhere. He urged governments to cut weapons flows, curb business networks that bankroll the war and press all factions toward a political settlement.
An independent fact-finding mission created by the council two years ago is due to brief diplomats on Tuesday. Its mandate—renewed last year—covers evidence-gathering for possible prosecutions of abuses committed by both the SAF and the RSF.
