The United Nations has issued an urgent call for a ceasefire in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, following reports that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have seized control of the city, triggering a surge in civilian casualties and displacement.
In a statement released on Sunday, October 27, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher expressed grave concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation, citing intensified shelling, attacks on medical facilities, and blocked aid routes. “We have lifesaving supplies ready, but intensified attacks have made it impossible for us to get aid in,” Fletcher said, urging safe passage for civilians and protection for humanitarian workers.
The UN reiterated obligations under Security Council Resolution 2736 (June 2024), which calls for an end to the siege of El Fasher, protection of civilians, and unrestricted humanitarian access throughout Sudan. Fletcher condemned recent strikes on a mosque and hospital, which killed at least 20 people, and highlighted nearly 100 civilian deaths in September alone.
El Fasher had been the last major city in Darfur under government control, besieged for over a year. The RSF reportedly captured the Sudanese Army’s Sixth Division headquarters, though official confirmation from the Sudanese Armed Forces remains pending.
The city’s fall marks a significant setback for government forces in the civil war that erupted in April 2023, now one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. According to UN estimates, over 11.7 million people have been displaced, with escalating risks of ethnically motivated violence, summary executions, and mass atrocities reported by the UN Human Rights Office EWN Devdiscourse Moneycontrol UN News.
International agencies, including the World Health Organization (WHO), have condemned the violence, citing the killing of over 460 patients and companions at the Saudi Maternity Hospital in El Fasher EWN Moneycontrol.
The UN continues to call for urgent and concrete action to protect civilians, ensure humanitarian access, and prevent further escalation in Darfur and across Sudan.
Sources:
EWN EWN – WHO urges Sudan ceasefire; Devdiscourse Devdiscourse – UN warns of RSF atrocities
Moneycontrol Moneycontrol – WHO condemns hospital massacre ;UN News UN News – Risk of large-scale atrocities
