Expecting fierce combat, soldiers encountered only civilians: mothers cradling babies, elderly men tending rice fields. Undeterred, they rounded up villagers, herded them into clusters, and opened fire. Houses burned as cries echoed through the hamlets of My Lai and nearby areas.

Detailed probes revealed the scale: 504 dead, mostly women and children, their bodies mutilated and discarded in mass graves. Rape, torture, and summary executions defined the rampage, lasting hours.

Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson, overhead in his chopper, witnessed the carnage and intervened heroically, airlifting survivors and confronting his comrades at gunpoint. His actions preserved a sliver of humanity amid the abyss.

The truth trickled out despite military whitewashing. By November 1969, Seymour Hersh’s reporting unleashed a firestorm, fueling Vietnam War opposition and eroding support at home. Courts-martial ensued, but only Calley faced real punishment—a brief stint behind bars after a commuted life term.

My Lai’s legacy endures, etched in memorials and military doctrine reforms like the Rules of Engagement. It compelled America to confront its demons, highlighting how fear and orders can unleash monstrosity.

Earlier images taken shortly after the RSF’s takeover showed what appeared to be corpses, identified as white shapes, along with visible blood patterns near the Saudi and children’s hospitals. Accounts from witnesses, along with online videos and field reports, describe widespread killings subsequent to the city’s fall. While the RSF has denied involvement in the deaths at the hospital, their own released footage from the area, despite showing recognizable landmarks, conspicuously omits any scenes depicting fighters alongside bodies or carrying out executions.

Further satellite data from Planet Labs in late October displayed similar white shapes near a northern berm outside el-Fasher, alongside burnt vehicles. The Yale analysis suggests that many of these bodies were later moved, possibly in an effort to conceal evidence. The ongoing communication blackouts and instability in the region make it extremely difficult to ascertain the true human cost, with confirmed victims including local physician Dr. Adam Ibrahim Ismail, who was reportedly detained and killed by RSF fighters. This event has been condemned by the Sudan Doctors’ Network as a targeted attack on medical personnel. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called for accountability, labeling the alleged atrocities as ‘horrendous.’ The ongoing burials in RSF-controlled areas present significant obstacles for investigators seeking direct evidence of war crimes.

The violence in el-Fasher follows a recent deadly drone strike in el-Obeid, North Kordofan, which claimed at least 40 lives. Local sources have attributed this attack to the RSF, which has increasingly deployed drones in its military operations. The UN humanitarian office has confirmed significant casualties but has not assigned blame. Both Kordofan and Darfur have become epicenters of Sudan’s civil war, which began in April 2023 between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces. The conflict has resulted in an estimated 40,000 deaths, with aid groups suggesting the actual figure is considerably higher. The war has also led to the displacement of over 14 million Sudanese, exacerbating a deepening humanitarian catastrophe marked by widespread famine and disease, with two regions already facing starvation.

The Baloch National Movement’s Human Rights Department, Paank, detailed the recent incidents. On October 29, Hamza Baloch, a laborer from Khuzdar district, was reportedly abducted by a Pakistan-backed death squad and subsequently handed over to the Pakistani army. His body, bearing bullet wounds, was discovered five days later in the Awaran district.

In a separate incident, Bahad Baloch, from Kulaho village in Kech district, was allegedly murdered by members of Pakistan-backed death squads. His body was found on November 1 and taken to Turbat Civil Hospital. Reports suggest he was robbed of his belongings before being killed, with perpetrators attempting to stage the scene as a suicide. Paank is demanding accountability for these alleged war crimes and is calling for the international community to halt funding to Pakistan, arguing that such resources are misused to perpetuate human rights abuses in Balochistan.

Adding to the concerns, a young fisherman, Asif Hasil, was reportedly forcibly disappeared on Monday evening from a check-post in Gwadar by personnel from Pakistan’s Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and intelligence agencies. This abduction followed a midnight raid on his home where family phones were confiscated. Paank emphasizes that these systematic human rights violations are deeply traumatizing the Baloch population and urges for international intervention to hold the Pakistani state accountable.

Dujarric believes that lasting peace globally is unattainable without substantial reforms within the UN and a rebalancing of the veto power.

According to Dujarric, the UN was established to foster peace, eliminate international crime, and prevent war. However, the current situation is the reverse. Countries committing war crimes are, in effect, taking action against the UN.

Israel serves as a prime example. Despite accusations of war crimes against its Prime Minister, Israel has barred the UN Secretary-General from entering the country. Furthermore, Israel is reportedly involved in cutting UN funds through its allies.

During the interview, Dujarric revealed that Guterres has two main priorities. The first is to end ongoing conflicts through diplomatic pressure, an effort in which Guterres has thus far been unsuccessful.

The second priority is to bring about fundamental changes within the United Nations. Guterres has previously advocated for the inclusion of India, Brazil, and an African nation as permanent members of the UN.

Dujarric stated that superpowers are unwilling to allow these changes. Without these reforms, he believes the organization will lose credibility, its voice will be unheard, and it will become purposeless.

Former US President Donald Trump criticized the UN during a meeting, stating that the UN only issues letters instead of taking concrete actions to prevent war. Trump argued that the UN was failing in its duties, and he had to take on the responsibilities the UN should be handling.