UN Report: Civilian Killings Surge in Sudan Amid Escalating Ethnic Violence

Sudan has witnessed a sharp escalation in civilian deaths during the first half of 2025, fuelled by intensifying ethnic violence, the United Nations Human Rights Office reported on Friday.

The conflict, which erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has unleashed devastating violence on civilians, creating what the UN describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

According to a new report by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), at least 3,384 civilians were killed between January and June, with the majority of casualties recorded in Darfur. The figure accounts for nearly 80% of all civilian deaths documented in Sudan last year.

“Every day we are receiving more reports of horrors on the ground,” said OHCHR Sudan representative Li Fung during a briefing in Geneva.

The report attributes most deaths to artillery shelling, airstrikes, and drone attacks in heavily populated areas. Large-scale killings were recorded during the RSF’s April offensive on El Fasher and on displacement camps in ZamZam and Abu Shouk.

At least 990 civilians were summarily executed in the first half of the year, with incidents tripling between February and April. The surge coincided with SAF and allied fighters recapturing parts of Khartoum previously held by the RSF.

OHCHR spokesperson Jeremy Laurence cited witness testimony from East Nile, Khartoum, describing summary executions of teenagers accused of links to the RSF.
“One witness said he saw children as young as 14 or 15 summarily killed during SAF search operations in civilian neighbourhoods,” Laurence reported.

The findings highlight the scale of atrocities being committed against civilians, underscoring the urgent need for international attention and accountability measures.