Heavy fighting in Sudan continues to worsen as a direct result of the ongoing influx of weapons into the country, signaling that the devastating war is far from over, according to top independent human rights investigators. In their latest update to the Human Rights Council, the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan reported an alarming rise in the use of heavy weaponry in densely populated areas and a disturbing surge in sexual and gender-based violence.
The mission, established by the Human Rights Council in October 2023, revealed that both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are committing war crimes. Clashes between the two sides, which erupted in April 2023 following the collapse of Sudan’s transition to civilian rule, have caused massive civilian casualties and destruction. In El Fasher, civilians have reportedly been assaulted, detained, and killed, with entire villages burned and looted by the RSF. One RSF assault from April 10 to 13 resulted in over 100 civilian deaths, while a SAF airstrike in Al Koma killed at least 15 people.
In areas recently retaken by the SAF—such as Khartoum, Gezira, and Sennar—widespread retaliatory violence has been documented between late 2024 and mid-2025. Now entering its third year, the war has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 13 million people. Many survivors face sexual violence, looting, and the destruction of critical infrastructure, including homes, hospitals, markets, and schools.
The investigators condemned the weaponization of humanitarian aid, noting that the SAF has imposed restrictive bureaucratic measures, while the RSF has looted relief convoys and blocked aid altogether, worsening famine conditions, particularly in Darfur. They cited the bombing of a UN aid convoy in Al Koma on June 2 that killed five humanitarian workers and the repeated RSF shelling of Saudi Hospital in El Fasher. In May, an RSF drone strike on Obeid International Hospital in North Kordofan killed six civilians and shut down a major regional clinic, severely impacting already fragile aid operations.
A sharp increase in sexual violence was also documented, with women and girls being subjected to rape, gang rape, abduction, sexual slavery, and forced marriage, particularly in RSF-controlled displacement camps. These atrocities underscore the urgent need for international action to halt the flow of arms, ensure accountability for war crimes, and restore humanitarian access to Sudan’s most vulnerable communities.
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