The United Nations Human Rights Council will convene an emergency session on November 14 to discuss the deteriorating human rights situation in al-Fashir, Sudan, according to a diplomatic note circulated among member states on Thursday.
The move follows disturbing reports from the UN human rights office that hundreds of civilians and unarmed fighters may have been killed when the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized al-Fashir — the last city in Darfur previously controlled by the Sudanese army. The RSF’s capture of the city significantly shifted the balance of the two-and-a-half-year civil war, effectively giving the paramilitary group authority over a large portion of western Sudan.
More than 50 countries backed the request for the emergency debate, led by Britain, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands and Norway, surpassing the required one-third threshold for calling such a session. Several European governments have said they want the Human Rights Council to maintain pressure on both warring sides to protect civilians and allow humanitarian access.
The RSF on Thursday also announced its acceptance of a U.S.-backed humanitarian truce proposal, though past agreements have frequently broken down within days due to continued clashes and mistrust between the factions.
Sudan’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Hassan Hamid Hassan, said the Khartoum-based authorities are still evaluating whether they will participate in the session. Sudan’s government has historically resisted international investigations into allegations of abuses committed inside the country.
Sudan’s civil war — which erupted in April 2023 — has plunged millions of people into crisis, caused widespread displacement, disrupted humanitarian aid operations and raised fears of regional spillover. Aid agencies warn that abuses in Darfur, especially in and around al-Fashir, may represent some of the conflict’s worst atrocities to date.
Source:Africa Publicity
