A United Nations team has described the city of el-Fasher in Sudan as a “crime scene” after gaining access for the first time since the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) captured the city in October 2025. International aid workers found a largely deserted, war-ravaged city with few signs of life, following weeks of negotiations for safe access.
Humanitarian Devastation in El-Fasher
The UN team observed very few remaining residents, many sheltering in empty buildings or under basic plastic sheets. A small market was functioning but offered only locally grown vegetables. Denise Brown, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator for Sudan, described the scene:
“We have photos of people, and you can see clearly on their faces the accumulation of fatigue, of stress, of anxiety, of loss.”
The RSF seized control of el-Fasher on 26 October 2025 after an 18-month siege, forcing more than 100,000 residents to flee. Survivors report ethnically motivated killings, mass detentions, and widespread atrocities, echoing patterns seen in previous Darfur conflicts.
Child Malnutrition Crisis
UNICEF warned of an unprecedented level of child malnutrition in North Darfur. Screening in Um Baru locality revealed:
- 53% of 500 children acutely malnourished
- 1 in 6 suffering from severe acute malnutrition, a potentially life-threatening condition
Aid agencies are alarmed that ongoing violence and displacement are preventing access to basic healthcare and food.
RSF Systematic Campaign of Violence
A December report by Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab documented the RSF’s systematic efforts to erase evidence of mass killings, including burial, burning, and removal of human remains. Satellite imagery confirmed that by late November, 72% of human remains clusters had shrunk, and 38% were no longer visible.
The Sudan Doctors Network reported over 200 ethnic killings, including women and children, in the Dar Zaghawa region near the Chad border during recent RSF offensives. Previous attacks, such as the April 2025 assault on Zamzam displacement camp, resulted in over 1,000 civilian deaths and included documented sexual violence.
Widening Conflict Across Sudan
The capture of el-Fasher allowed the RSF to consolidate control over Darfur, with fighting expanding into Kordofan, effectively splitting the country. Since late October, an estimated 107,000 people have been displaced from el-Fasher and surrounding areas, with most remaining within North Darfur.
Of these displaced, three-quarters were already internally displaced people (IDPs) from previous violence, forcing some families to relocate three or more times. In total, 1.17 million people originally from el-Fasher have been displaced, accounting for 13% of all IDPs.
UN and International Response
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres renewed calls for an immediate ceasefire, describing Sudan as experiencing the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. An estimated 30.4 million Sudanese now need humanitarian assistance, though UN funding appeals have been halved due to donor cuts.
The US Department of State expressed concern over Sudanese Armed Forces rhetoric calling for military solutions and urged leaders to pursue peaceful resolutions. The RSF rejected a peace proposal from Sudanese Prime Minister Kamil Idris, dismissing it as “wishful thinking.”
Context of RSF Control
The RSF, which evolved from the government-backed Janjaweed militia, seized el-Fasher, previously the last major government-aligned stronghold in Darfur. Their takeover is part of a wider power struggle with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) that erupted in April 2023, a conflict that has already:
- Killed over 100,000 people
- Displaced 14 million people, including 4.3 million refugees in neighboring countries
The visit to el-Fasher focused on assessing the city’s accessibility for humanitarian aid, but UN officials remain concerned about injured residents, detainees, and vulnerable populations.
Leave a Reply