UN chief warns of potential war crimes in Sudan amid escalating violence

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday that indiscriminate attacks “killing, injuring and terrorizing civilians” in Sudan could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity and sounded the alarm on escalating fighting in North Darfur.

War erupted in Sudan one year ago between the Sudanese army (SAF) and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

“The main problem is clear: there are two generals that have opted for a military solution and they have until now, obstructed all serious efforts of mediation,” Guterres told reporters.

The UN has said nearly 25 million people, half Sudan’s population, need aid and some 8 million have fled their homes. Donors met in Paris on Monday to pledge humanitarian help.

Guterres said that over the weekend RSF-affiliated militias had attacked and burnt villages west of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, and the escalating hostilities on the outskirts of the city were “a fresh cause for deep alarm.”

“Let me be clear: Any attack on El Fasher would be devastating for civilians and could lead to full-blown intercommunal conflict across Darfur,” he told reporters.

Guterres said any attack on El Fasher “would also upend aid operations in an area already on the brink of famine, since El Fasher has always been a critical UN humanitarian hub.”

A United Nations-backed global authority on food security said late last month that immediate action is needed to “prevent widespread death and total collapse of livelihoods and avert a catastrophic hunger crisis in Sudan.”