10 February 2026 13:14 UTC · UK Government · GOV.UK Speech · Source · Email X Link

UK Government calls for immediate access to El Fasher

Key points

Grant Fact Finding Mission immediate and unhindered access
Protect civilians, facilitate humanitarian access, and respect international law

TL;DR

Survivors report indiscriminate and ethnically motivated killings and systematic sexual and gender‑based violence in El Fasher.
UN teams encountered landmines and unexploded ordnance; Médecins Sans Frontières reports El Fasher has become a ghost town.
The ICC’s initial assessment indicates crimes against humanity and war crimes by the RSF; the Fact Finding Mission must be granted immediate and unhindered access to El Fasher and Sudan.

Original text

Mr President, This statement is on behalf of the Sudan Core Group: Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom. We welcome the High Commissioner’s powerful update. Sustained Human Rights Council attention remains crucial. Survivors of last year’s brutal attacks in El Fasher, following months of siege by the RSF, have reported indiscriminate and ethnically motivated killings, and horrendous systematic sexual and gender‑based violence. A recent Médecins Sans Frontières report shows that El Fasher has become a ghost town. UN teams have encountered landmines and unexploded ordnance, severely restricting movement and rendering neighbourhoods unsafe. Human rights organisations warn that those still inside face the persistent threat of further grave and systematic violence. The ICC’s initial assessment indicates crimes against humanity and war crimes by the RSF in El Fasher. The Fact Finding Mission must be granted immediate and unhindered access to El Fasher and to Sudan more broadly, to gather the information necessary for its independent reporting. We are concerned by intensified fighting in North and South Kordofan where civilians remain trapped between warring parties and face famine‑like conditions. We must prevent a repeat of El Fasher’s atrocities. Civilians must be protected and granted safe passage, humanitarian access must be immediately facilitated, and all parties must respect international humanitarian and human rights law. Thank you.

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UK Government calls for immediate access to El Fasher

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