Nearly three years of war have put the Sudanese people through “hell”, the UN’s rights chief said Sunday, blasting the vast sums spent on advanced weaponry at the expense of humanitarian aid and the recruitment of child soldiers.

Since April 2023, Sudan has been gripped by a conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that has left tens of thousands of people dead and around 11 million displaced.

Speaking in Port Sudan during his first wartime visit, UN Human Rights commissioner Volker Turk said the population had endured “horror and hell”, calling it “despicable” that funds that “should be used to alleviate the suffering of the population” are instead spent on advanced weapons, particularly drones.