libyannewswire.com 2026-09-07 00:00:00

Geneva: The ongoing war in Sudan took centre stage at the UN Human Rights Council on Monday where the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Trk, led calls for an end to attacks on civilians in markets, hospitals, and fuel stations. Trk called for an immediate ceasefire and an end to foreign involvement, emphasizing the urgent need for peace in the region. According to United Nations, the conflict, now well into its fourth year, has resulted in a massive humanitarian emergency, with over six million people displaced internally and another 4.5 million forced to seek shelter across Sudan's borders. UN rights chief Mr. Trk warned about the deteriorating situation in Kordofan, Blue Nile, and North and West Darfur, stressing that civilians remain at imminent risk. The call for a ceasefire is backed by a new report from senior independent investigators appointed by the Human Rights Council. These investigators, who are not UN staff and are unpaid for their work, highlighted key findings such as the increas ing use of long-range drones against civilians. They also noted significant support allegedly provided to paramilitary rebel fighters by individuals and entities in the United Arab Emirates, Chad, southeastern Libya, and Puntland in Somalia. Mohamed Othman, chair of the Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan, reported that both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are increasingly using long-range drones, impacting civilians far beyond traditional front lines. Drone strikes have reportedly injured and killed civilians in their homes, schools, hospitals, markets, and displacement sites, as well as during community gatherings. In particular, El Obeid city in North Kordofan has been heavily impacted by repeated RSF drone attacks on vital civilian infrastructure, including water and energy supplies. The fact-finding mission's report underscores the severe risks civilians continue to face, including aerial threats, displacement, and pressure on strained essential services. The report also detailed attacks on civilians by both parties to the conflict. Notable incidents include successive RSF drone strikes on a kindergarten and a hospital in Kalogie, South Kordofan, which left 114 dead, including 60 children, and SAF attacks on Ad-Daein Teaching Hospital that resulted in at least 70 fatalities. Mr. Othman stated there are reasonable grounds to believe both SAF and RSF committed serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, potentially amounting to war crimes. In Khartoum, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) reported the devastation of three key hospitals in the capital, a situation mirrored across the country. The Khartoum Teaching Hospital, the Ophthalmology Hospital, and the Dental Hospital, once major referral and teaching hospitals, have sustained extensive damage. WHO Representative in Sudan, Dr. Abdinasir Abubakar, highlighted the destruction of operating theatres, loss of imaging equipment, and collapse of several wards. Despite these challenges, hospital staf f continue to treat patients in the remaining usable parts of the buildings, appealing for urgent assistance to repair the immense damage.