UN fact-finding mission warns 'darkest chapters' ahead in Sudan conflict

GENEVA

The UN's Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan on Monday condemned the reported massacre of over 100 civilians in displacement camps in Darfur, warning the nation may be entering "the darkest chapters" of its ongoing war, which marks its third year this week.

The attacks, attributed to Rapid Support Forces (RSF), targeted Zamzam and Abu Shouk settlements and El Fasher, killing civilians, including nine medical workers, the mission said in a statement.

Survivors from Zamzam camp -- home to an estimated 750,000 people, half of them children -- described siege-like conditions, rampant looting, and deaths due to hunger, with humanitarian access nearly impossible.

"As Sudan enters into its third year of conflict, we must reflect on the catastrophic situation in Sudan and honor the lives of all Sudanese who have been lost or changed forever," said Mohamed Chande Othman, chair of the mission. "Amid the rising tide of hate speech and ethnically driven violence and reprisals, we fear the darkest chapters of this conflict have yet to unfold."

Mission member Mona Rishmawi called the recent attacks "horrific" and urged states not to fuel the conflict. "Deliberate attacks on civilians, medical workers and healthcare infrastructure amount to international crimes," she said.

The mission emphasized the urgent need for protection of civilians and accountability, ahead of a high-level meeting in London where around 20 states are expected to discuss Sudan’s humanitarian crisis.

An estimated 24.6 million persons in Sudan -- more than half of Sudan’s population -- are facing acute food insecurity, with nearly eight million facing acute hunger.

Famine conditions in Zamzam camp were confirmed in August 2024 and have persisted and expanded to Abu Shouk and Al Salam camps and the Western Nuba Mountains.

The RSF began its latest offensive on El Fasher on May 10, despite international warnings over renewed violence in the city, which serves as a vital humanitarian hub for all five states in Darfur.

Since April 15, 2023, the RSF has been battling the Sudanese army for control of the country, resulting in thousands of deaths and one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.