UN Human Rights Council held Special Session on the human rights situation in and around El Fasher, Sudan
The Special Session was convened per an official request by a core group of countries: the UK, jointly with Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Norway, with the support of all EU Member States. The Special Session adopted by consensus a resolution, condemning the atrocities committed by the RSF, and supporting further dedicated investigations by the UN Fact Finding Mission into them, with a view to addressing impunity and supporting accountability.
In his opening statement, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk made a strong plea to the international community:
The suffering of the Sudanese people must end. The international community has a clear duty to act. It must take action to prevent continued large-scale human rights violations, often ethnically motivated, in Darfur and beyond. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker
EU Ambassador Deike Potzel, on behalf of the European Union, strongly condemned the ongoing conflict in Sudan, and the RSF’s takeover of El Fasher. She underlined that the civilian population, including the inhabitants of El Fasher, who endured tremendous hardship during the siege of the city, continue to be the victims of this horrible conflict.
We are shocked by the credible reports of horrendous atrocities, including in the form of targeted ethnic violence, extrajudicial and summary executions, and widespread sexual and gender-based violence committed by the RSF against the civilian population. The EU strongly condemns these acts, which are part of a broader pattern of violence that has afflicted the entire Darfur region since April 2023, and may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity according to the Fact-Finding Mission and the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. EU Ambassador Deike Potzel
Violations must immediately stop and be investigated by the Fact-Finding Mission created by this Council, she continued. "It is critically important to ensure accountability for all violations of international law, and the EU remains committed to supporting efforts to document, investigate and bring them to justice. Persisting impunity breeds new atrocities, as we are now witnessing in Darfur. The primary responsibility for ending the conflict lies with the leadership of both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), as well as those providing them with direct, and indirect support. All parties to the conflict need to engage constructively in inclusive ceasefire negotiations.
The EU also urged all external actors directly or indirectly supplying arms, financial support, or support of any other kind to the warring parties to immediately cease such support and to comply with the UN arms embargo. The EU will continue to advocate for expanding the mandate of the ICC and of the UN arms embargo to the whole country. EU Ambassador Deike Potzel
Ambassador Potzel also reaffirmed the EU’s steadfast commitment to the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Sudan, and rejects any attempts to partition Sudan.
The EU will continue stepping up its humanitarian effort and aid, which currently stands at 160 MEUR within Sudan alone in 2025, but totaling more than 270 million EUR including alleviating the effects of the crisis on neighboring countries. The EU will continue to engage also through the EU Special Representative for the Horn of Africa, including with an initiative for on the protection of critical infrastructure. Finally, the EU strongly supports the vital role played by civil society actors, human rights organisations, Emergency Response Rooms, local and woman's organizations, and accountability mechanisms, including the FFM for Sudan.
Read the full EU statement at the Special Session here.
