UN warns El-Fasher violence was a 'preventable human rights catastrophe'

UN rights chief Volker Turk described last October's violence in El-Fasher as a 'preventable human rights catastrophe' and warned similar abuses may be repeated in Kordofan; Britain said it had imposed new sanctions and raised the matter at the UN Security Council.

Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told the UN Human Rights Council that the violence in El-Fasher last October amounted to a "preventable human rights catastrophe." He said the attacks followed a long siege and that survivors gave accounts of killings, sexual violence and the use of children by armed actors. Turk warned those abuses risk being repeated in the Kordofan region as fighting has intensified since El-Fasher's capture. British deputy UN envoy James Kariuki spoke at the UN and said Britain had imposed new sanctions related to the conflict. What officials reported: - The UN office said thousands were killed and tens of thousands fled El-Fasher, and reported mass killings, widespread sexual violence and recruitment of children; it said these findings align with the International Criminal Court's assessment of war crimes and crimes against humanity. - Turk expressed particular concern that similar violations may recur in Kordofan, noting that in just over two weeks up to February 6 his office documented some 90 civilians killed and 142 injured in drone strikes affecting markets, health facilities and residential areas. - Britain, speaking for its Security Council presidency, condemned recent drone strikes and attacks on aid operations, said an aid worker was killed in a reported strike on a World Food Programme convoy, and announced sanctions against six individuals accused of fueling the conflict. Summary: The UN rights chief reported large-scale, widespread abuses in El-Fasher and warned of a risk of repetition in Kordofan as fighting spreads. Closed-door UN Security Council meetings were due to discuss Sudan and Britain has announced sanctions, but further international actions and outcomes remain undetermined at this time.