UN Human Rights Council to hold urgent meeting on Sudan crisis

The United Nations Human Rights Council is scheduled to convene an urgent meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss the human rights situation in and around el-Obeid, North Kordofan, amid ongoing conflict in Sudan. The session follows warnings that approximately 500,000 civilians are at risk of large-scale atrocities. The urgent debate was requested by a core group of countries: Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom. In their request, they highlighted the potential escalation of violence, citing increasing drone strikes that have destroyed civilian infrastructure, leading to severe fuel and water shortages, while siege-like conditions have trapped thousands in el-Obeid, cutting them off from basic services. The group plans to submit a draft resolution for adoption by Council members after the debate.

Separately, the Sudan Doctors Network reported that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), fighting the Sudanese Armed Forces, have detained 20 doctors, including four women, since taking over el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, in October last year. Their whereabouts remain unknown. The independent medical network called on the RSF to disclose the fate of the detainees and allow healthcare workers to perform their duties without being targeted or subjected to violations. The network stated that healthcare workers in North Darfur have been widely targeted since the conflict began on April 15, 2023, until the fall of el-Fasher, with 25 medical personnel killed during that period. Sudan’s conflict, now in its fourth year, has killed tens of thousands, displaced over 12 million, and triggered what the UN describes as the world’s worst displacement and hunger crisis. Fighting has intensified in recent months in the Kordofan region and Blue Nile state near the Ethiopian border, particularly after the RSF overran el-Fasher, the Sudanese army’s last major stronghold in Darfur.