The United Nations has called for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan, warning that escalating drone attacks and the destruction of healthcare facilities are worsening the country’s already catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said civilians across several regions of Sudan face an imminent risk of further attacks, urging the warring parties to halt hostilities and return the country to civilian rule.
More than six million people have been displaced within Sudan since the conflict erupted, while an additional 4.5 million have fled across the country’s borders in search of safety.
The UN says the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has increasingly spread beyond traditional front lines, with both sides using long-range drones capable of striking populated areas far from active battle zones.
More Read
The attacks have raised fresh concerns over the safety of civilians, particularly children and patients who are increasingly being caught in the fighting.
In South Kordofan, drone strikes reportedly hit a kindergarten and a hospital, killing 114 people, including 60 children.
In a separate incident, an attack on a teaching hospital killed at least 70 people, further highlighting the devastating impact of the conflict on Sudan’s already severely weakened healthcare system.
UN investigators said the attacks formed part of a broader pattern of violations committed by both sides.
They said there were reasonable grounds to believe that both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces had committed serious violations of international humanitarian law that could amount to war crimes.
Türk also called for an end to foreign involvement in the conflict, warning that external support is helping to prolong the violence and deepen the suffering of Sudanese civilians.
He urged the international community to intensify diplomatic efforts to secure an immediate cessation of hostilities and create conditions for a political process that can restore civilian government.
The war, which began in April 2023 following a power struggle between the SAF, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, has devastated large parts of Sudan.
Millions have been forced from their homes, while food insecurity, disease outbreaks and the collapse of essential services have left civilians facing increasingly desperate conditions.
More Read
The UN has repeatedly warned that Sudan is experiencing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with civilians bearing the greatest burden of the conflict.
With fighting continuing and attacks increasingly reaching civilian areas, the United Nations is pressing both sides to immediately lay down their arms and pursue a negotiated political settlement before the humanitarian situation deteriorates further.
