The United Nations Human Rights Council has condemned drone strikes and other attacks on civilians in Sudan, warning the warring parties that there is "no military solution to the crisis". At its session in Geneva on Monday, the 47-member council adopted a resolution demanding "an immediate and complete ceasefire by all parties, without preconditions". The resolution also calls for an independent monitoring mechanism and the restoration of basic infrastructure. It passed by 28 votes to 10, with nine abstentions. Sudan's government had urged members to reject the measure, saying the council had not taken its reservations into account.
The resolution extends the mandate of the council's independent international fact-finding mission, which gathers evidence of abuses by both sides. It condemns widespread violations of international humanitarian law by the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), citing indiscriminate attacks on civilians and aerial bombardments that have destroyed schools and hospitals. It also criticises outside interference, warning that illicit financial networks, illegal arms transfers and foreign mercenaries are fuelling the fighting. UN figures show drone strikes killed more than 1,100 people in the first five months of the year, as both sides have sharply increased their use of drones.
The mission concluded in February that the RSF's siege and capture of el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur and the last military stronghold in Darfur to fall, bore "the hallmarks of genocide". Investigators found civilians were systematically deprived of food and medicine before facing mass summary executions, and documented ethnic killings aimed mainly at non-Arab groups, widespread sexual violence and the destruction of medical facilities.
The risks to humanitarian work were underlined separately by the World Food Programme (WFP). It said an air strike on Saturday hit its convoy travelling between Dilling and Kadugli in South Kordofan, killing a driver and damaging food supplies. The vehicles carried clear humanitarian markings. The attack came 24 hours after another WFP vehicle detonated an explosive device in Dilling following a food distribution run. "Humanitarian workers and aid assets are not targets," the agency said, calling for a transparent investigation.
Diplomatic efforts are also under way. Massad Boulos, a senior adviser to US President Donald Trump on Arab and African affairs, met army chief General Abdel-Fattah Burhan on Saturday at a lunch hosted by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, on the sidelines of an African Union meeting. Mr. Boulos said the aim was to help Sudan restore stability and move towards a civilian-led government through an inclusive, Sudanese-led national dialogue. US officials say a regional agreement on a humanitarian truce, with safe aid corridors, is still possible. Sudan's foreign minister recently accused Washington of denying Mr. Burhan a visa for the UN General Assembly, a claim the State Department declined to address.
The war began in April 2023 as a power struggle between the army and the RSF. It has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced some 13 million and pushed parts of the country into famine. Repeated peace efforts have so far failed.