Grave violations against 1,681 children in Sudan. CRSV in Darfur could be crimes against humanity

From What's In Blue 
Dated Thursday 25 June 2026 - excerpts:

Sudan: Briefing and Consultations

Tomorrow morning (26 June), the Security Council will hold an open briefing, followed by closed consultations, on Sudan. The meeting is being held pursuant to resolution 2715 of 1 December 2023, which requested the Secretary-General to provide a briefing every 120 days on the “UN’s efforts to support Sudan on its path towards peace and stability”. [...]

Colombia, in its capacity as Council president for June and in the absence of a Chair of the 1591 Sudan Sanctions Committee, is expected to deliver a statement on the work of the Committee. Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Sudan Pekka Haavisto will brief in the closed consultations. [...]

Over the past several weeks, regional and international interlocutors have expressed alarm over the escalating situation in El Obeid, drawing comparisons with the RSF’s October 2025 offensive and subsequent takeover of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state. That offensive was accompanied by widespread violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHRL), including reports of mass killings, summary executions, abductions, arbitrary detention, and other abuses against civilians. 

In an 18 June statement, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned that an imminent offensive on El Obeid “risked fresh commission of serious international crimes and deepening the catastrophic impact on an already beleaguered civilian population”. [...]

In recent weeks, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has reported that repeated drone strikes have targeted critical civilian infrastructure in and around El Obeid, including power, fuel, and water facilities, as well as displacement sites.

Some members may also highlight broader protection concerns, including widespread conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV). In this regard, there may be reference to the 23 June report published by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), which documents patterns and trends of CRSV in Sudan since the outbreak of the conflict on 15 April 2023 to mid-April this year, including links to conflict dynamics. The report noted that CRSV has been perpetrated in conjunction with systematic and coordinated attacks against civilians as a tactic of war, including as retaliation against individuals perceived to be affiliated with opposing parties and as part of ethnically motivated attacks. It found that there are reasonable grounds to believe that some acts of sexual violence committed in Darfur, in the context of a widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population, may amount to crimes against humanity. [...]

Tomorrow, Sulieman and several Council members are likely to highlight the devastating impact of the conflict on children, particularly in light of the escalating hostilities in and around El Obeid. They are expected to express deep concern about the continued perpetration of grave violations against children in Sudan. (The six grave violations, as determined by the Security Council, are child recruitment and use; killing and maiming; rape and other forms of sexual violence; attacks on schools and hospitals; abductions; and the denial of humanitarian access.) The Secretary-General’s latest annual report on children and armed conflict, dated 16 June and covering developments in 2025, verified 1,889 grave violations against 1,681 children in Sudan.

During the closed consultations, Haavisto is expected to provide an update on ongoing initiatives to address the crisis in Sudan, including his engagement with the Sudanese parties, consultations with key regional and international interlocutors, and efforts to coordinate various peace initiatives. Between 3 and 5 June, the Quintet—comprising the African Union (AU), the European Union (EU), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the League of Arab States (LAS), and the UN—held consultations in Addis Ababa with a broad spectrum of Sudanese political and civilian stakeholders. 

A press release issued after the meetings noted that discussions focused on possible pathways towards the establishment of a preparatory committee for an inclusive inter-Sudanese political dialogue. The latest discussions built on the Quintet’s initial engagement with a group of Sudanese civilian actors on the sidelines of the international Sudan conference held in Berlin on 15 April. 

On 7 June, Haavisto visited Sudan, where he met with SAF leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and several other senior Sudanese officials. He also held discussions with political figures, women civil society leaders, members of the diplomatic corps, and the UN Country Team. This was his second visit to Sudan following his appointment on 24 February. According to a UN readout, Haavisto’s discussions focused on UN-led efforts to promote de-escalation and confidence-building measures among the parties. During his meeting with Burhan, he also discussed the Quintet’s recent consultations in Addis Ababa and efforts to advance an inclusive political process.

On 19 June, Haavisto held a telephone conversation with RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, during which he underscored the urgent need to de-escalate the situation in and around El Obeid and avoid any actions that could further exacerbate the already dire humanitarian situation. In a briefing earlier today (25 June), Haavisto said that he plans to visit Kenya, Chad, South Sudan, and Uganda in the coming weeks as part of his ongoing regional outreach. He expressed hope that the Quad group—comprising Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the US—could help secure a humanitarian truce. In his assessment of the conflict dynamics, he noted that both sides still appear to believe that military gains remain achievable. At the same time, he underscored that regional actors, including Gulf countries, are increasingly rejecting the notion of a military solution.

Haavisto also met with US Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos on 23 June. According to a post by Boulos on X, the two discussed the Quintet’s ongoing efforts to advance an inclusive, Sudanese-led civilian political dialogue, as well as ways to ensure unhindered humanitarian access for the UN and its humanitarian partners. Boulos further noted that he will participate in tomorrow’s Council meeting, during which he intends to emphasise the need for international support for a humanitarian truce, a pathway towards a permanent ceasefire, and an inclusive Sudanese-led political dialogue and civilian-led transition.

View original: https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/whatsinblue/2026/06/sudan-briefing-and-consultations-13.php

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Sudan: Three Years of Conflict and Displacement. More than 11.58 million people were uprooted

Report from International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Dated 15 April 2026 - full copy:

Sudan: Three Years of Conflict and Displacement

Following the start of the conflict on 15 April 2023, Sudan became the largest displacement crisis in the world. Nearly one in three people in Sudan— over 15 million people— were displaced from their homes, either within the country or across borders. Sudan alone accounted for 15 per cent of all internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the world. By January 2025, the crisis reached its peak in terms of displacement: More than 11.58 million people were uprooted inside Sudan—8.85 million driven out by the current conflict, and 2.73 million displaced from earlier conflicts.

This factsheet presents key statistics on displacement and return, based on three years of nationwide data collection from IOM's Displacement Tracking Matrix. 

Key Figures: 15 April 2023 - 15 April 2026

• The number of IDPs more than tripled due to the conflict, increasing by over 200 per cent from 3.8 million IDPs in 2023 to a peak of 11.58 million IDPs in 2025.

• DTM recorded 805 events triggering displacement: On average, there was an event triggering displacement every 1.5 days for over 1,000 days. Some months witnessed as many as 88 incidents.

• An average of approximately 231,779 additional IDPs were displaced each month between April 2023 and the peak of displacement in January 2025.

• In addition to conflict-related displacement, over a quarter million individuals were displaced due to natural hazards (285,135 individuals).

• Displacement spans the entire country: individuals were displaced from every single state and fled to nearly 13,000 locations in 185 localities across all 18 states.

Displacement and Return in April 2026

After three years, the number of displaced people has decreased due to increased return movements. 

• Approximately 8,936,175 IDPs remain in Sudan, a 23 per cent decrease compared to the highest-ever recorded displaced population.

• Despite the recent decrease in IDP figures, displacement remains at historically high levels: the displaced population is still more than double compared to its pre-conflict figures.

• Approximately 350,000 individuals were newly displaced within the last six months, between October 2025 and March 2026. This surge in displacement was driven primarily by increased insecurity across Al Fasher, North Darfur, the Kordofan region, and Blue Nile state.

Nearly 4 million people have now returned home.

• An estimated 3,994,019 individuals have returned to areas of origin across nine states.

• Of these, 83 per cent moved back from internal displacement and 17 per cent returned from locations abroad.

• Sixty per cent of households have returned to damaged homes, including fully collapsed roofs and broken walls or windows.

• The majority of returning families moved back due to improved security (87%), and the majority intend to stay (92%).

View original, graphics, download full report

Period Covered Apr 15 2023 - Apr 15 2026:

https://dtm.iom.int/reports/sudan-three-years-conflict-and-displacement

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The world’s worst humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Sudan - we must not look away (UK FM Cooper)

"Today we are announcing that the UK will jointly convene with Germany a major international conference on Sudan in Berlin in April, as we mark the third anniversary of this devastating conflict. And the UK will use its voice and Presidency of the United Nations Security Council next month, to prevent Sudan again slipping down the international agenda." - Yvette Cooper, UK Foreign Secretary. Read more.

From The Independent.co.uk

Editorial by Yvette Cooper, UK Foreign Secretary

Published Friday 09 January 2026 10:00 GMT - full copy:

The world’s worst humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Sudan - we must not look away

As the conflict in Sudan passes the grim milestone of 1,000 days, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper writes that the same diplomatic energy that helped end the war in Gaza is needed to end the crisis

South Sudan's worsening water crisis [VIDEO]

The world is catastrophically failing the people of Sudan. Today marks a grim milestone – 1,000 days of devastating violent conflict involving unimaginable atrocities, millions pushed into famine, and the most barbaric abuse of Sudan’s women.

The scale of the humanitarian crisis happening now is greater than any in the 21st century and the security consequences are likely to be felt far beyond Sudan for many years to come.

The world must not look away from the conflict between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces that is terrorising Sudan. I am determined we shine a searing spotlight on the unfolding atrocities and make 2026 the year the world comes together to drive urgent new momentum towards peace.

Last month, I listened as Sudanese civilians and community workers from their Emergency Response Rooms recounted the horrific human cost of the RSF’s October capture of the town of El Fasher after a grinding 18-month siege – including ethnically motivated mass killings and use of rape and starvation as weapons of war.

These stories on the ground corroborated the satellite images from space – images of blood-soaked earth and mass graves that all too briefly jolted the world’s attention.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper (Reuters)

Aid workers in Tawila gave me a virtual tour of the makeshift camps where hundreds of distressed children arrived having made a 46-mile journey from El Fasher on foot. Traumatised women and children are scraping an existence with scant rations under thornbush shelters.

International Rescue Committee (IRC) staff recounted their struggle to support unprecedented numbers of victims of sexual violence in what they described as a war on women’s bodies. As shocking as what I saw was what I did not see – boys or men. Fathers, husbands and brothers missing, likely killed, following forced separation from their families.

Over 30 million people still need lifesaving aid. Famine is spreading. Infrastructure has collapsed. Preventable diseases are rampant. The conflict is escalating and spreading in the Kordofan region. 

The RSF have been accused of war crimes (File picture). 

Rapid Support Forces

For the leaders of Sudan’s warring parties to refuse to halt the war or to prevent massacres and atrocities on this scale is horrendous. For so many soldiers to be systematically raping Sudanese women is barbaric.

The case for action is deeply moral. But it is also about our wider security. Wars that rage unresolved radiate instability. They undermine the security of neighbouring states, they become easy targets for extremist groups to exploit. And they lead migrants to embark on dangerous international journeys.

Sudan’s war goes far beyond Sudan. It is regionalised and globalised. It poses a global test of our ability to mobilise the agile alliances, partnerships and multilateral weight to get a breakthrough.

Words of international concern or outrage are not enough. We need a concerted diplomatic drive to arrest the spiralling violence and suffering.

Sudanese residents gather to receive free meals in Al Fasher 

(AFP via Getty Images)

The US have been working to get a truce and wider plan in place – drawing together the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt (the ‘Quad’). That is why last month in Washington I held talks with Secretary Rubio and the President’s senior advisor on Africa and I have repeatedly engaged Quad members on ways forward.

But we need the same international focus and energy now from right across the world that we had around securing the Gaza ceasefire.

Today we are announcing that the UK will jointly convene with Germany a major international conference on Sudan in Berlin in April, as we mark the third anniversary of this devastating conflict. And the UK will use its voice and Presidency of the United Nations Security Council next month, to prevent Sudan again slipping down the international agenda.

At the heart of international efforts must be pursuing the humanitarian truce and a push for a permanent end to hostilities. This can only come through greater pressure on the warring parties – crucially from their regional backers.

Second, we have to prevent further atrocities by either side. This means working to raise the cost of committing or backing further massacres. On 12 December, the UK sanctioned senior RSF commanders, including the so-called “Butcher of El Fasher” who has openly boasted on social media of murdering Sudanese civilians.

Sudanese who fled el-Fasher city crowd to receive food at their camp in Tawila (AP)

And we are working to combat impunity and hold perpetrators to account. In November, UK leadership at the UN Human Rights Council secured international agreement to an urgent UN inquiry into crimes in El Fasher. We are supporting vital investigations by the International Criminal Court.

Third, unimpeded aid needs to reach populations in need. The UK has provided an additional £21 million for food, shelter, health services and protection of women and children in hardest to reach areas. This brings our total support to £146 million this financial year.

But for aid to save more lives, the belligerents must lift their deliberate and systematic barriers to humanitarian access.

Ultimately, no amount of aid can resolve a crisis of this magnitude until the guns fall silent. It must be the Sudanese people, not any warring group, that determine Sudan’s future.

The world must now come together around this cause – to stem the bloodshed and help set Sudan on a path to peace.

View original: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/sudan-war-humanitarian-crisis-yvette-cooper-b2897125.html

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Sudan: Closed Consultations at UN Security Council

Security Council Report
What’s In Blue
Dated Wednesday 01 October 2025 - full copy:

Sudan: Closed Consultations

This afternoon (1 October), Security Council members will convene for closed consultations on Sudan. The meeting was requested by Denmark, France, Greece, Panama, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Slovenia, and the UK (the penholder on the file) to receive an update on the humanitarian and political situations in the country, specifically in light of the current escalation of violence in El Fasher in North Darfur state; ongoing efforts to secure a humanitarian pause; and recent diplomatic engagements on Sudan, including during the General Assembly’s high-level week. Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Sudan Ramtane Lamamra and Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Joyce Msuya are expected to brief.

Fierce clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continue, as both parties seek to consolidate territorial control. In recent months, there has been an alarming escalation in hostilities in the fighting, which has centred around El Fasher and the Kordofan region. The growing use of advanced weaponry, including long-range drones, has further intensified the scale and complexity of the conflict. A 29 September Washington Post article reported that the RSF now possess anti-aircraft weapons, drones, and surface-to-air missiles. A report published on the same day by the Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) at Yale School of Public Health identified at least 43 uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) near the RSF-controlled Nyala airport in South Darfur and 36 launchers.

Regional and international initiatives to address the crisis in Sudan have continued, but a meaningful breakthrough remains elusive, as the positions of both Sudanese warring parties and key member states have become entrenched. In recent weeks, the US has sought to reinvigorate peace-making efforts through the convening of the “Quad” countries—Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—to explore ways of generating new momentum. (For more information, see the brief on Sudan in our September 2025 Monthly Forecast.)

On 12 September, the foreign ministers of the Quad countries issued a joint statement calling for an initial three-month humanitarian truce to allow the rapid delivery of assistance across Sudan, with the aim of paving the way for a permanent ceasefire. The statement proposed that an inclusive and transparent transition process be launched and concluded within nine months, leading to the establishment of an independent, civilian-led government with broad-based legitimacy and accountability. The ministers committed to press all parties to the conflict to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure and ensure humanitarian assistance reaches those in need; promote conditions that ensure the security of the broader Red Sea region; counter transnational security threats from terrorist and extremist organisations; and deny space to destabilising regional and domestic actors.

In a 29 September press briefing in New York, US Senior Advisor for Africa Massad Boulos described ongoing discussions on the humanitarian situation in Sudan. He noted extensive engagements with organisations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the World Food Programme (WFP), and said that the US is working closely with both the RSF and SAF to facilitate urgent aid delivery to El Fasher, with plans to extend assistance to Kordofan and other affected areas. Boulos also recently held discussions with Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher, which focused on the urgent delivery of humanitarian assistance. Additionally, the situation in Sudan featured in his exchanges with regional and international stakeholders, including with African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf during a September visit to Addis Ababa.

On 24 September, the Quad countries convened at ministerial level on the margins of the General Debate of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, continuing their discussions on ways to restore peace and security in Sudan.

That day, the AU, the European Union (EU), France, Germany, and the UK convened a ministerial meeting with regional and international stakeholders to address the situation in Sudan and coordinate efforts towards de-escalation and the protection of civilians. The statement issued following the meeting urged the warring parties to resume direct negotiations to achieve a permanent ceasefire and called on them to take all necessary measures to ensure the protection of civilians.

In September, Lamamra undertook a regional tour aimed at advancing peace efforts with the Sudanese parties and relevant interlocutors. In Nairobi, Kenya, he held consultations with independent civilian representatives as well as delegations from the RSF-aligned “Tasis” alliance and the Civil Democratic Alliance of the Revolution’s Forces (“Sumoud”), which emerged earlier this year following a split from the “Taqaddum” coalition led by former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. In a post on X, Lamamra underscored his commitment to engage actors all across the spectrum, irrespective of their political affiliations, to foster consensus on the way forward. He also held a meeting with Kenyan President William Ruto, during which Lamamra reportedly provided an update on his recent peace engagements and discussed ways to intensify efforts to end the conflict.

Lamamra subsequently travelled to Port Sudan, where he met with senior Sudanese officials, including Transitional Prime Minister Kamil Eltayeb Idris and members of his cabinet. According to a 17 September press briefing by Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Stéphane Dujarric, Lamamra also engaged with civilian political actors, women’s groups, and members of the diplomatic corps. Dujarric said that this visit was part of efforts to “lay the complex groundwork necessary to support an inclusive peace process” capable of delivering a sustainable solution. This afternoon, Council members might be interested in hearing Lamamra’s assessment of potential next steps in the mediation process and of ways to address the underlying issues hindering peace efforts.

At the meeting, Msuya is expected to provide an update on the humanitarian situation in light of the evolving security developments and describe efforts by the UN and its partners to deliver aid. The situation is particularly grave in El Fasher, where more than 260,000 civilians—including 130,000 children—remain trapped, according to UN estimates. Civilians in the area are facing growing risks of sexual violence, forced recruitment, and arbitrary detention. As conditions deteriorate, people have resorted to desperate measures, such as eating animal feed and food waste.

Satellite imagery published by Yale’s HRL shows that, since May, the RSF has been constructing a massive earthen berm encircling El Fasher, which now stretches more than 68 kilometres, leaving only a narrow three- to four-kilometre gap. Civilians continue to face daily threats from shelling, airstrikes, and drone attacks. On 19 September, one of the deadliest incidents in recent months occurred when a mosque near the Abu Shouk camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) was struck by a drone reportedly belonging to the RSF, killing more than 70 people, including at least 11 children.

In a 29 September statement, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan Denise Brown called for the lifting of the siege on El Fasher, an end to indiscriminate attacks, and clear orders to fighters to prevent sexual violence and ethnically motivated attacks. She also emphasised the need to guarantee safe passage for civilians wishing to leave the city through open, secure, and accessible routes, while ensuring that those who remain are protected and have access to food, water, and other essential supplies.

Msuya might elaborate on Fletcher’s recent engagements with the Sudanese warring parties. On 24 September, he met with Idris to discuss the expansion of humanitarian access and the UN’s presence in Sudan, including efforts to move pre-positioned aid supplies in El Fasher. The following day, he spoke with RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, expressing grave concern about the humanitarian crisis in El Fasher and stressing the urgent need to protect civilians, halt the fighting, and ensure safe humanitarian access. At today’s meeting, Council members may be interested in Msuya’s assessment about the prospects for securing humanitarian pauses in El Fasher and expanding humanitarian access into the area.

View original: https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/whatsinblue/2025/10/sudan-closed-consultations-9.php

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