Source: UN News: Sunday, 16 November 2025 00:01 AM
In the recent brutal phase of the ongoing war in Sudan, incidents of people being targeted with horrific atrocities are coming to light. Amy Pope, head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), has heard the heart-wrenching stories of people fleeing the atrocities of war in Al Fashar, in the country’s North Darfur province. Amy Pope, speaking to reporters from Sudan in New York on Wednesday, said that since the Rapid Support Force – RSF took control of Al Fashar, about 90 thousand people have been displaced. Also, due to violence in Kordofan region, another 50 thousand people have had to flee. Tweet URL
He told that when people were running to other places for safety, they had to face violence and sexual harassment on a large scale. There have also been some cases in which civilians were shot on sight. Amy Pope said that she also saw some women and children who had to walk for days and people also mentioned the horrors they saw on the way, “Many people leaving the area saw bodies lying on the road.” “Many people had to avoid drone planes flying in the sky. Some people somehow managed to escape with only their children.” These are the victims of the war in Sudan. The incidents come at a time when the scale and scope of the war’s violence has increased significantly, following the RSF’s capture of the regional capital Al Fashar. Amy Pope said the horrors of the war are increasing at a time when funding cuts to humanitarian aid operations are increasing at unprecedented levels around the world. Amid severe funding shortfalls, the UN migration agency – (IOM), is providing relief supplies to those in need, including shelter, dignity kits and cooking items. But Amy Pope also cautioned that funding is currently limited to the level of needs, at only about 8 percent. IOM, the UN relief coordination agency for mobilizing resources – OCHA And world food program , WFP OCHA chief Tom Fletcher has also been in Sudan this week to assess the situation. Amy Pope said IOM aid trucks are reaching the town of Tawila, about 60 kilometers from El Fashar, but reaching people there is proving difficult. She said that over the past few months, many aid workers have also been targeted by violence, with some even being killed. Destruction is increasing in Kordofan. Meanwhile, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk warned on Wednesday that there has been no decrease in the cases of targeting of civilians in Sudan. Addressing the Senate of France, he said that his office – OHCHR The UN continues to receive worrying reports that the RSF is continuing to carry out atrocities, including rampant killings, sexual violence and other human rights violations. He said that in the Kordofan region, intensified war preparations have been observed as killings and destruction have increased. Volker Turk urged States to implement the Security Council embargo on arms supplies to Darfur. He also He also stressed that protection of civilians, access to humanitarian assistance and restoration of peaceful governance are priorities.
