To Permanent Representatives of Member and Observer States of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (Geneva, Switzerland)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The<\/i><\/b>Human Rights Council should convene a special session on Sudan to address the situation in and around El Fasher, North Darfur,<\/i><\/b>and ensure urgent investigations<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your Excellencies,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In light of the situation in and around El Fasher, North Darfur, which after 18 months of siege fell to the Rapid Sup\u00adport Forces (RSF), with credible reports that crimes under inter\u00adnational law are being com\u00admit\u00adted, including in the form of targeted ethnic vio\u00adlence, and with risks of further atroci\u00adties in North Darfur and throughout Sudan, the UN Human Rights Council should urgently convene a special session.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Council should task the Inde\u00adpen\u00addent International Fact-Fin\u00adding Mission (FFM) for the Sudan to prepare a flash report to<\/b>document atrocities being committed in and around El Fasher<\/b>. The re\u00adport should include recommendations to all par\u00adties to the conflict and assess the role of external ac\u00adtors with a<\/b>view to ensuring that<\/b>those in\u00addi\u00adviduals and en\u00ad\u00adtities responsible<\/b>for violations<\/b> are iden\u00adtified and held accountable.<\/b>The FFM should be asked to share all relevant information with the International Criminal Court (ICC) to inform the Court\u2019s investigations.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the Council concluded its 60th<\/sup> regular session (8 Sep\u00adtem\u00adber-8 October 2025), during which it exten\u00added the FFM\u2019s mandate1<\/sup><\/b> for a year, the situation in Sudan continued to deteriorate, in particular in North Darfur and in the Kordofan region. The clear message in support of inves\u00adti\u00adgations and accoun\u00adtability the Council sent by adopting re\u00adso\u00adlution 60\/32<\/sup><\/b> requires follow-up to specifically address these new deve\u00adlop\u00adments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On 27 October 2025, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights indicated3<\/sup><\/b> that his Office was \u201cre\u00adcei\u00adving multiple, alarming reports that the [RSF] are carrying out atrocities, including summary executions, after seizing control of large parts of [\u2026] El Fasher, North Darfur and of Bara city in North Kordofan state [\u2026].\u201d He added that \u201c[t]he risk of further large-scale, ethnically motivated violations and atrocities in El Fasher is mounting by the day,\u201d especially as reports point to \u201cethnic motivations for kil\u00adlings\u201d of civilians and persons hors de combat<\/i>. \u201cGiven past realities in North Darfur, the likelihood of sexual violence against women and girls in particular is extremely high,\u201d he also warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Civil society organisations have also raised the alarm. In a statement, the Global Centre for the Res\u00adpon\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adlity to Protect (GCR2P) stressed that \u201c[t]his is not only a humanitarian emergency; it is an atrocity crisis deep\u00adening by the day. The fall of El Fasher marks a critical point of no return. Without immediate and decisive action, the city could soon become the site of another mass atrocity etched into Darfur\u2019s tragic history.\u201d4<\/sup><\/b> Human Rights Watch analysed and verified dozens of videos showing RSF fighters celebrating over large numbers of dead bodies, both in uniform and civilian clothes, executing apparent civilians, and taunting, abusing, and killing severely injured people.5<\/sup><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n ~ ~ ~<\/b><\/b><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n The international community has a responsibility to act urgently to prevent the commission of large-scale atrocities, to intensify the pressure on external actors fuelling Sudan\u2019s conflict, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and to fight impunity and advance accountability for violations, some of which amount to crimes under international law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The FFM has presented its report to the UN General Assembly\u2019s Third Committee and action is con\u00adsidered at the Security Council. The Human Rights Council also has a responsibility to uphold its pre\u00advention man\u00addate and to address the crisis in El Fasher in a way that centres the voices of Sudanese victims, survivors and civil society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The FFM has the mandate, expertise and expe\u00adri\u00adence to in\u00addepen\u00addent\u00adly investigate and report on violations committed by all parties throughout Sudan, including the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), the RSF, and their allied forces. It should be asked to prepare an urgent flash report on the situation in and around El Fa\u00adsher and to present to the Human Rights Council at the earliest opportunity, and it should be given resources to support this additional task. It also has a mandate to cooperate and share best practice with other international, regional and domestic accountability initiatives. This includes the ability to share evi\u00addence with the ICC, whose jurisdiction (currently covering Dar\u00adfur) should be expanded to cover Sudan\u2019s entire territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Consequently, w<\/b>e urge all Members and Observers of the Human Rights Council to support the ur\u00adgent convening of a spe\u00adcial session on the<\/b>situation in and around El Fasher, North Darfur<\/b>, with a view to adopting a resolution that, among other elements:<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n A special session should start with presentations by<\/b>a<\/b><\/b>victim, survivor and\/or witness, and at least one Sudanese civil society speaker<\/b>, as well as international and regional<\/b><\/b>human rights experts, inc\u00adluding the FFM, the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the African Commission on Human and Peoples\u2019 Rights. To centre the voices of those directly affected by the crisis, the Secretariat of the Council should endeavour to facilitate the participation of strong Sudanese voices, including at least one person from within the country or who has fled El Fasher\/ North Darfur.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n We thank you for your attention to these pressing issues and stand ready to provide your delegation with further information as required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sincerely,<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1<\/b><\/sup> Civil society letter available at: DefendDefenders, \u201cSudan: Extend the mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission for two more years,\u201d 14 August 2025, https:\/\/defenddefenders.org\/sudan-extend-ffm-mandate-two-more-years\/<\/a> (accessed on 3 November 2025).<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2<\/sup><\/b> Available at: https:\/\/docs.un.org\/A\/HRC\/RES\/60\/3<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 3<\/sup><\/b> \u201cSudan: Appalling reports of summary executions and other serious violations, as RSF makes major territorial gains in El Fasher and North Kordofan,\u201d 27 October 2025, https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/en\/press-releases\/2025\/10\/sudan-appalling-reports-summary-executions-and-other-serious-violations-rsf<\/a> (accessed on 29 October 2025).<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4<\/sup><\/b> GCR2P, \u201cMounting Atrocities in El Fasher Demand Immediate International Action,\u201d 28 October 2025, https:\/\/www.globalr2p.org\/publications\/mounting-atrocities-in-el-fasher-demand-immediate-international-action\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n See also Amnesty International, \u201cSudan: RSF must end attacks and further suffering of civilians in El Fasher,\u201d 28 October 2025, https:\/\/www.amnesty.org\/en\/latest\/news\/2025\/10\/sudan-el-fasher\/<\/a> (both accessed on 29 October 2025).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, during the 85th<\/sup> ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples\u2019 Rights (ACHPR), whose public part opened on 21 October 2025, the ACHPR released the report of the Virtual Joint Fact-Finding Mission on the Human Rights Situation in the Sudan set up by the African Union Commission\u2019s Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security and the ACHPR. It addressed, among other things, the situation in North Darfur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
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