The U.N. Human Rights Council chief Volker Türk warned of mass killings, rape and torture in El Fasher, Darfur, and said satellite imagery has shown bloodstains on the ground. The council is backing an independent investigation amid reports that more than 150,000 people have been killed and roughly 12 million displaced in the wider conflict. Türk urged an immediate humanitarian truce, unfettered aid access and meaningful peace talks toward inclusive civilian rule, while U.N. investigators warned that the scale of suffering may exceed past atrocities.
U.N. Warns of Mass Killings and Sexual Violence in El Fasher — Calls for Urgent Probe and Truce
The U.N. Human Rights Council chief Volker Türk warned of mass killings, rape and torture in El Fasher, Darfur, and said satellite imagery has shown bloodstains on the ground. The council is backing an independent investigation amid reports that more than 150,000 people have been killed and roughly 12 million displaced in the wider conflict. Türk urged an immediate humanitarian truce, unfettered aid access and meaningful peace talks toward inclusive civilian rule, while U.N. investigators warned that the scale of suffering may exceed past atrocities.
05:23 AM, 11/15/2025Conflict
U.N. rights chief warns of mass suffering in El Fasher, Sudan
Volker Türk, the head of the U.N. Human Rights Council, issued a stark warning about mass killings, rape and torture in El Fasher, a city in northwest Darfur, Sudan. He told an emergency meeting in Geneva that the council has repeatedly alerted the international community to mounting abuses in the city and beyond.
“Our wake-up calls were ignored. Bloodstains on the ground in El Fasher have even been visible in satellite images. The stain on the record of the international community is less obvious, but no less harmful,” Türk said.
The Human Rights Council is supporting a fresh, independent investigation into alleged mass killings in El Fasher. According to reporting cited at the meeting, more than 150,000 people have been killed and roughly 12 million displaced in the wider conflict (BBC).
El Fasher endured an 18-month siege and was seized last month as fighting shifted in Darfur. The Sudanese Army has reportedly ceded control of much of Darfur to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF); large portions of western Sudan are now under RSF control. The RSF has historical links to the Janjaweed militias active two decades ago.
Türk warned that the conflict, which began in April 2023 as a power struggle between the Sudanese Army and the RSF, is tearing apart Sudan's social fabric. He urged all parties to prioritize civilian safety and to engage seriously in peace negotiations.
Calls for action
Türk appealed for a humanitarian truce, unimpeded passage of aid, and a transition to inclusive civilian governance.
“I urge them to fulfill their obligations under international law to ensure the protection of civilians and the passage of humanitarian aid,” he said.
U.N. investigators, including Mona Rishmawi from the U.N. fact-finding mission on Sudan, described the suffering in El Fasher as unprecedented in scale. Rishmawi warned of mass killings, sexual violence, torture, disappearances and starvation following prolonged sieges.
The U.N. also flagged growing violence in Kordofan, central Sudan, warning of bombardments, blockades and forced displacement. Türk said Kordofan must not be allowed to suffer the same fate as Darfur and warned against any erosion of international humanitarian law.
External involvement
Outside states have been accused of fueling the war: the United Arab Emirates has been accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, while Iran has been accused of providing arms to the Sudanese Army (BBC reporting cited).
Türk closed his remarks with a direct appeal to all parties and external actors: end the violence, allow life-saving humanitarian assistance to reach civilians, and pursue a credible route to peace and inclusive governance so that the suffering of the Sudanese people can end.