UN holds special session on Sudan’s el-Fasher atrocities

GENEVA (MNTV) — The United Nations Human Rights Council convened a one-day special session on Friday to address hundreds of killings and widespread human rights violations in el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, carried out last month by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries.

The session included debates on a draft resolution requesting an urgent investigation by independent experts into the atrocities.

UN human rights chief Volker Türk described the attacks as “foreseen and preventable” crimes, highlighting mass executions, sexual violence, abductions, and assaults on medical and humanitarian personnel.

RSF fighters reportedly went house to house and attacked the Saudi Hospital in el-Fasher, leaving more than 450 dead, according to the World Health Organization.

Mona Rishmawi, part of the fact-finding team, said evidence collected since RSF seized the city shows large-scale killings, torture, rape, ransom abductions, arbitrary detentions, and enforced disappearances. She stressed that while a full investigation is required, the findings so far are “devastating.”

The 47-member council cannot enforce compliance but can document violations and highlight them for potential prosecution at the International Criminal Court.

The session comes amid ongoing conflict between Sudan’s military and RSF, which erupted in 2023, leaving at least 40,000 dead and displacing 12 million people, with aid groups warning the true toll may be far higher.