UN condemns SAF ongoing violations in Sudan

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, expressed deep shock at reports that hundreds of civilians were killed and scores injured in airstrikes launched by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) on a crowded market in the village of Tura, North Darfur, on (March 24th).

In a statement issued yesterday, Türk shared, “My Office has learned that (13) of those killed belonged to a single family, and that some of the injured are also reportedly dying as a result of the extremely limited access to healthcare.”

He warned that despite his repeated warnings and appeals to the Sudanese Armed Forces to protect civilians in accordance with International Humanitarian Law, “civilians continue to be killed indiscriminately, maimed and mistreated on a near daily basis, while civilian objects remain an all-too-frequent target.”

Türk reiterated his call for both parties to take all necessary measures, as required by law, to avoid harming civilians or targeting civilian objects, noting that indiscriminate attacks, as well as attacks against civilians and civilian objects are unacceptable and may constitute war crimes.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights emphasized the importance of holding perpetrators fully accountable for the violations committed in this latest attack, as well as in the numerous attacks against civilians that have preceded it, adding, “Such conduct must never become normalized.”