UN rights council condemns attacks on civilians in Sudan and calls for immediate truce

The United Nations Human Rights Council has condemned drone strikes and other attacks on civilians in Sudan and called for an immediate ceasefire in the country's war. The resolution was adopted in Geneva as fighting intensified in North Kordofan, where the World Food Programme said an air attack hit a truck carrying food supplies and killed one person. The council also extended the mandate of its independent fact-finding mission, keeping international scrutiny on alleged abuses by both sides.

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The 47-member council voted 28 to 10, with nine abstentions, to renew the mission investigating violations in Sudan. The resolution demanded an immediate and complete ceasefire by all parties without preconditions, along with an independent monitoring mechanism and the restoration of basic infrastructure. It also condemned what it described as widespread violations of international humanitarian law by both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, including indiscriminate attacks on civilians and aerial bombardments and drone strikes that have destroyed critical infrastructure.

The council said schools and hospitals had been among the facilities damaged in the conflict. It warned that outside interference, illicit financial networks, illegal arms transfers and foreign mercenaries were continuing to fuel the war. UN figures cited in the resolution say drone strikes killed more than 1,100 people in the first five months of the year alone, underlining the scale of the aerial campaign now shaping the conflict.

Sudan urged member states to reject the measure, saying the council had not taken its reservations into account. The latest resolution comes against the backdrop of a war that began in April 2023 between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Human rights groups estimate that the conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than 13 million.

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The fighting has also deepened a humanitarian crisis, with repeated attacks on civilians, aid routes and essential services making relief operations increasingly difficult. The reported strike on a food truck in North Kordofan is the latest example of how the war is affecting access to supplies in areas where civilians remain exposed. The fact-finding mission extended by the council has been central to documenting alleged abuses during the conflict.

In February, investigators said the Rapid Support Forces' siege and capture of el-Fasher in North Darfur bore the hallmarks of genocide, after civilians were reportedly deprived of food and medicine before mass summary executions. That finding has added to international concern about the conduct of the war and the risk of further atrocities as front lines shift and drone attacks increase. What remains unclear is whether the resolution will lead to any change on the ground, where both sides continue to fight and aerial attacks are intensifying.

It is also not clear how quickly any monitoring mechanism could be put in place or whether either side will respond to the ceasefire demand. For now, the council's move adds to pressure on the warring parties, but the conflict and the humanitarian emergency remain unresolved.

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