A view of displaced woman dressed in the local attire at a refugee camp in El Obeid, North Kordofan State, Sudan, January 12, 2026. (Photo by Reuters)

The United Nations rights chief has warned that the Sudanese people are trapped in a scene of "horror and hell."

Speaking to reporters in Port Sudan on Sunday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said the continued fighting between the rivaling forces in the African country has plunged the nation into a scene of "horror and hell."

Turk called on the fighting sides in Sudan to put an end to war crimes and crimes against humanity reported against the fighting sides since the conflict erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

He said he had met with the Sudanese people while traveling through different parts of the country during his visits to Dongola, Ad Dabba and Merowe over the past days, where he witnessed the population facing acute food insecurity and displacement. "I have met with those who have been hardest hit by brutal violence and injustice in this war."

Turk insisted that in order to sense the pain inflicted on these people, "the commanders of this conflict, and those who are arming, funding, and profiting from this war, need to hear what the victims had to say.

Aisha, 20, said that in October, she was fleeing with her family from the violence in El Fasher, towards the village of Garni, when they were surrounded by armed men on camels.

Turk said the UN agency was receiving more and more reports and testimonies from women who had been raped. "So many provided testimony of detained, disappeared and missing family members and friends."

"Sexual violence is being used as a weapon of war. This is a war crime. And we have more and more indications that this is widespread and systematic."

Turk pointed out that the extent and range of pain and damage inflicted on the Sudanese people is greater than one can imagine and may include trauma from "intolerable attacks against civilian objects that are indispensable to the civilian population, including markets, health facilities, schools and shelters."

"The terrifying experiences of these survivors must provoke action to end this conflict," the UN rights chief stressed, emphasizing that in the meantime, relief agencies needed to be supported to ensure that the victims "can access what they need: medical care, psychosocial care, justice and support to pursue education and a livelihood."

Meanwhile, foreign countries are said to be responsible for the humanitarian crisis worsening day by day in Sudan. There have been multiple reports of foreign countries making profits through doing business with the warring sides, funding the ongoing conflict.

In Sudan, the SAF is said to have connections with Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, while the RSF is reportedly linked to the United Arab Emirates.