A UN expert called attention to the critical role of local Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs) volunteers in delivering life-saving aid amid a brutal war in Sudan on Friday, stressing f0r more support.

The conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Sudan has raged for approximately three years, marked by killings, rape, and other violations, raising concerns about escalating genocidal violence. According to the data from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), at least 11,300 civilians were killed in 2025.

As the war drags on, human rights violations have intensified. Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, noted a critical attack on infrastructures, including schools, hospitals, markets, and religious sites. He also expressed concerns over the weaponized use of women’s bodies. “The bodies of Sudanese women and girls have been weaponized to terrorize communities,” Turk stated. He added, “In 2025, we identified over 500 victims of sexual violence, including rape, gang rape, sexual torture, and slavery – in some cases resulting in death. And when I was in Sudan earlier this year, I listened to the harrowing testimonies of at least 10 of them”.

Amid this humanitarian crisis, ERRs, which are often perpetuated by youth and local communities, function as essential systems that provide lifesaving support. Aided by local actors and international humanitarian organizations, such as Save the Children, ERRs provide prompt responses to urgent needs.

Cecilia Bailliet, the Independent Expert on international solidarity, noted that, “Grounded in the Sudanese tradition of nafeer (collective action), the Emergency Response Room volunteers have been vital in ensuring the provision of food, water, medicine and shelter to millions, as they are able to access dangerous, hard-to-reach areas”.

Bailliet called for more support:

While these solidarity networks have been crucial lifelines since the eruption of the war, more must be done by the international community and all relevant actors, to support them, and all parties to the conflict must do more to ensure access to critical humanitarian aid, including food, medicine, medical equipment, or other vital supplies, in line with international humanitarian law.

Türk’s grievances over the atrocities in Sudan are not new. The UN Commissioner has previously expressed grave concern over the abuses to civilians and weaponization of the country, after his visits.