UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk expressed concern on Wednesday over human rights violations committed amidst the armed conflict between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Wad Madani, Sudan.

According to Türk, reports have reflected that at least 250,000 people have been displaced in Sudan thus far. In Wad Madani, mutilations, looting and an attack on a hospital have occurred. Dozens of civilians have been injured, killed or detained by both groups and some of the attacks were ethnically motivated.

Türk called upon the SAF and RSF to protect civilians and their objects pursuant to international human rights and humanitarian law. He said that attacks targeting civilians and their objects are prohibited and urged both groups to protect human rights defenders and humanitarian workers, while ensuring that civilians have access to humanitarian assistance.

As Wad Madani is home to over 300,000 people, many international observers expressed trepidation as the SAF-RSF conflict reached the city.

The SAF is the military force of Sudan, and the RSF is a paramilitary group that grew out of the Janjaweed militia. The armed conflict in Sudan between the SAF and RSF broke out on April 15. It has led to more than 9,000 casualties and 5.7 million displaced people. Around 25 million people are also in need of humanitarian aid.

On December 6, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that both the SAF and RSF groups have “unleashed horrific violence, death, and destruction across Sudan.” He also said that “[c]ivilians have borne the brunt of this needless conflict.” On December 1, the UN Security Council announced that it had decided to terminate its political mission in Sudan. It described the situation in Sudan as “a severe humanitarian crisis” which had an increase in “abhorrent sexual and gender-based violence.”