UN human rights experts have issued an urgent appeal to the international community, calling for immediate and decisive action to stop the trafficking of women and the forced recruitment of child soldiers in El Fasher , the capital of North Darfur state. This UN initiative comes amid harrowing field reports documenting widespread abuses and systematic abductions targeting civilians in the ongoing conflict.
Grave violations and targeting based on ethnicity
UN experts have confirmed that the most vulnerable groups in society, particularly women and children, are being targeted directly and systematically, often with ethnic motivations. Reports indicate that kidnappings are not limited to ransom demands but also include human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and the recruitment of children into armed conflict—a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and conventions on the rights of the child.
Field context: The siege of El Fasher and the worsening crisis
These warnings are of paramount importance given the strategic importance of El Fasher, the last major stronghold in the Darfur region, which is embroiled in a fierce conflict. Since the city was placed under siege in May 2024, the humanitarian situation has deteriorated rapidly. This siege has not only severed food and medicine supplies but has also transformed the city into an open battlefield, where innocent civilians are paying the price, making it a hotbed of successive humanitarian crises.
Alarming figures and catastrophic humanitarian consequences
Recent data has revealed the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe, with military escalation and blockades displacing more than 470,000 people from their homes in search of safe havens lacking even the most basic necessities. Nationwide, the number of children affected by the conflict in Sudan has risen to over six million, facing the risks of hunger, disease, and lack of access to education, as well as the danger of forced recruitment.
The spread of violence in Sudan
These patterns of violence are not confined to El Fasher. UN reports have documented similar violations in various parts of Sudan, including Bahri, the capital Khartoum, the Kordofan states, and Nyala in South Darfur. This expansion of the conflict complicates the work of humanitarian organizations and increases the need for effective intervention by the international community, not only to provide relief but also to exert pressure to stop hostilities and protect civilians from human trafficking networks that thrive in the security vacuum.
