The UN humanitarian coordinator for Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, expressed concern on Saturday over severe human rights violations committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), after the Sudan Doctors Network and the United Nations confirmed major attacks launched by the paramilitary group.
The attacks were committed in Sudan’s Al Jazirah State between October 20 and 25. Preliminary reports indicate that RSF fighters engaged in widespread human rights abuses and breaches of international humanitarian law (IHL). Hundreds of village residents reportedly fled their homes after enduring physical and sexual violence, threats and humiliation. The Sudan Doctors Network highlighted especially severe violence in the village of Al Suhra, where RSF-affiliated forces allegedly “committed a massacre against civilians,” resulting in the deaths of 124 residents.
These attacks mark the latest in a series of violent incidents attributed to RSF and allied militias, including last year’s mass killings of civilians in West Darfur, which were described as “ethnically motivated attacks.” In her statement, Nkweta-Salami drew parallels between the severe human rights abuses in West Darfur, which included “rape, targeted attacks, sexual violence, and mass killings,” and the incidents in Aj Jazirah State. The deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian structures remains especially alarming, as it directly contravenes the protections afforded under IHL.
IHL provides a comprehensive legal framework to mitigate the effects of armed conflict on individuals, including civilians. Central to it are the 1907 Hague Convention and Hague Regulations, as well as the 1949 Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocols (APs). Common Article 3 to the Geneva Conventions requires that “[p]ersons taking no active part in the hostilities…shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction.” The provision, which applies to non-international armed conflicts (NIACs), categorizes acts such as physical violence, murder, violations of personal dignity, the taking of hostages and arbitrary arrests as serious breaches of IHL. The principle of distinction further bans attacks on civilian infrastructure. AP II, relevant to NIACs, further guarantees civilian safety in Articles 4, 13, and 14, reinforcing that civilian lives and essential resources are safeguarded by the law in conflict zones.
The ongoing violence in Sudan has drawn significant concern from the international community. A September 2024 OECHR report found that both the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) committed grave human rights violations since the beginning of the civil war in April 2023. This triggered the extension of the arms embargo in Darfur in an attempt to de-escalate the conflict. Additional recommendations include Sudanese cooperation with the International Criminal Court to expand its jurisdiction over the entire territory of Sudan and the establishment of a complementary hybrid criminal court to address the severe violations, which include war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The RSF and SAF began fighting in 2023 in the aftermath of an attempted coup.
The prolonged conflict has put millions of civilians at risk. According to statistics by the World Food Program, 25.6 million people—over half of Sudan’s population—are food insecure, with some areas at risk of famine. As the country grapples with the “worst displacement crisis in the world,” the UN Refugee Agency warns that the humanitarian situation is likely to deteriorate further if conflict persists.
