The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns of a dire situation in El Fasher, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur state, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped amid intensifying fighting. UN emergency relief coordinator Tom Fletcher expressed deep alarm over civilian casualties, forced displacement, and lack of access to food, healthcare, and safe escape routes.
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) claim to have taken El Fasher, the last government-controlled city in Darfur, deepening the ongoing conflict between RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Daglo and Sudan’s de facto ruler Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan. The fighting has led to widespread destruction of homes, markets, and hospitals, while humanitarian aid remains blocked.
UN reports highlight that around 300,000 people live under siege-like conditions in El Fasher, facing starvation and brutal attacks. Sudan’s wider crisis is deemed the world’s biggest humanitarian emergency, with over 12 million displaced and more than 26 million suffering acute hunger.
Fletcher calls for an immediate ceasefire across Sudan, safe passage for civilians and aid workers, and protection of humanitarian operations to alleviate the catastrophic suffering.
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