An unnamed U.N. representative told the Security Council that the Rapid Support Forces captured El Fasher in North Darfur after more than 500 days under siege and that the shift in control has "marked a significant shift in the security dynamics." The representative said drone strikes by both parties have affected new states and that no part of Sudan is beyond reach.

The representative said the humanitarian and protection needs are growing and warned of "the risk of mass atrocities, ethnically targeted violence, and further violations of international humanitarian law," singling out El Fasher for immediate concern. The U.N. Human Rights Office has, the representative said, documented credible reports of mass killings and summary executions in and around the city, and reported communications outages that have compounded the chaos.

At least 50 civilians were reported killed in Barra in North Kordofan in recent days, the representative said, describing those deaths as occurring both in fighting and in summary executions. The briefing also cited an allegation that five Red Crescent volunteers were executed during operations in Barra. The representative said it is difficult to estimate total civilian deaths because communications remain cut in parts of the country.

The representative said the secretary-general has renewed calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities and urged the parties to return to the negotiating table. "It is high time to take the first step towards lasting peace for the Sudanese people," the speaker said. The representative also said the international community must pursue accountability and noted the renewed mandate of U.N. fact-finding efforts and the International Criminal Court proceedings in the case related to Ali Muhammad Ali Abd Al-Rahman.

On diplomacy, the representative said personal envoy Ramtane Lamamra has invited both parties to enter technical talks with the United Nations focused on de-escalation and protection of civilians and has received "encouraging indications" of willingness to engage. The briefing described coordination between a quartet mechanism (the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the League of Arab States and the United Nations) and a QUAD initiative (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the United States) to plan a joint ministerial consultative meeting in Addis Ababa.

The speaker urged member states with influence over the parties to encourage participation in technical talks and to coordinate to maximize collective efforts to end the war. "We must all play our part in helping to bring this devastating war to an end," the representative said, and asked the Council to "use all the tools at its disposal to demand peace in Sudan."