UN commission: Parties to the conflict in Sudan have committed serious violations

^{Spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Thamin Al-Khitan (KUNA)}

January 21, 2026 (PEN) Thamin Al-Khaithan, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that the horrific violations and abuses committed during the capture of El Fasher, in North Darfur, must not be repeated under any circumstances in Kadugli and Dilling in South Kordofan.

Al-Khaithan added in a statement: “During his visit to Sudan, specifically to the Al-Afad camp for displaced persons in Al-Dabba, which houses about 20,000 displaced people, High Commissioner Volker Türk witnessed the shock and immense impact of the brutality suffered by children, men, and women in Al-Fashir, as they tried to escape.”

Al-Khitan pointed out that the parties to the conflict must ensure that the forces allied with them or under their control act in accordance with international human rights law and international humanitarian law, including—and primarily—curbing such violations and abuses and holding those responsible to account, regardless of their affiliations.

Al-Khitan stated that all parties, throughout this conflict, committed serious violations and abuses of international human rights law, and grave violations of international humanitarian law, especially when fighting intensified to impose one party's control over new areas.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights, after witnessing the destruction of vital civilian infrastructure at the Merowe Dam and hydroelectric power station, said that the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces must stop their unjustified attacks on civilian targets indispensable to the population, including markets, health facilities, schools and shelters.

_{Source: United Nations}