Sudan has been locked in a civil war since fighting broke out between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in April 2023 [Getty]
The United Nations warned on Friday that the civilian death toll in Sudan was rising sharply, blaming the warring parties for failing to protect non-combatants.
The army, at war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April 2023, has in recent weeks mounted a fierce assault to reclaim full control of the capital Khartoum.
The UN human rights office OHCHR said it had documented at least 275 civilian deaths between 31 January and 5 February, as a result of artillery shelling, air strikes and aerial drone attacks in Khartoum, and in North Darfur, South Darfur, North Kordofan and South Kordofan.
The figures were more than three times the “already high number” of 89 recorded the previous week, it said.
OHCHR typically acknowledges that the true death tolls are likely far higher than the numbers they manage to document.
“The sharp increase in civilian deaths underscores the dire risks civilians face amid the continued failure by the parties to the conflict and their allies to protect civilians,” said OHCHR spokesman Seif Magango.
“Indiscriminate attacks, as well as threats and attacks directed against civilians, must cease immediately,” he said.
“The Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces – and their allied movements and militias – must respect their international law obligations and take concrete steps to protect civilians from harm, including humanitarian workers and human-rights defenders.”
Since it erupted, the war has killed tens of thousands of people, uprooted 12 million and caused one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent memory.
