(MENAFN) UN human rights chief Volker Turk on Friday cautioned about worsening atrocities in and around El-Fasher, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur state.

He called on the global community to take “immediate and decisive action” to safeguard civilians caught in months of armed conflict.

Speaking at the 38th Special Session of the Human Rights Council on Sudan, Turk described the violence in the city as encompassing some of the “gravest crimes imaginable.” He highlighted increasing reports of mass starvation, sexual abuse, targeted killings, and the devastation of essential services.

“We have documented patterns of strangulation, starvation, mass killings, widespread sexual violence and forced displacement,” Turk stated, noting that civilians have been forced to consume leaves, animal feed, and peanut shells to survive.

“Entire communities are being starved to death as armed groups encircle and terrorize the city," he added, emphasizing the extreme suffering endured by the local population.

Turk accused the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of intentionally obstructing humanitarian aid and attacking hospitals, relief workers, and critical infrastructure.

He further noted that satellite imagery and firsthand accounts indicate a “deliberate campaign of cruelty designed to subjugate and control civilians.”

Describing the crisis as “a display of naked brutality,” Turk urged UN member nations to guarantee immediate humanitarian access, enforce targeted actions against individuals and networks fueling the violence, and push for an urgent halt to hostilities.

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