Twenty years after the world declared that the atrocities of Darfur must never be repeated, Sudan is once again gripped by horrors that echo its darkest chapters. Reports of massacres, sexual violence, and kidnappings are emerging daily from the region, as the country’s civil war spirals further out of control. The latest and gravest flashpoint: the seizure of El Fasher, the last major city in Darfur, by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after an eighteen-month siege.
On November 5, 2025, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres sounded the alarm, declaring, “The terrible crisis in Sudan is spiraling out of control.” Speaking at a UN summit in Qatar, Guterres called for an immediate ceasefire in the two-year conflict, which he described as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. “Hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped by this siege,” he said, adding, “People are dying of malnutrition, disease and violence. And we are hearing continued reports of violations of international humanitarian law and human rights.”
The RSF, reportedly supported by the United Arab Emirates, captured El Fasher last week after a protracted and brutal campaign. For a year and a half, the paramilitary force surrounded the city, severing essential food and supplies to tens of thousands of residents. The United Nations and aid organizations estimate that nearly 71,000 people have been displaced since the RSF took control, with tens of thousands fleeing to the nearby town of Tawila. But many remain trapped, facing unimaginable peril.
According to the Norwegian Refugee Council, which operates a displacement camp in Tawila, a few thousand have made the arduous journey—often on foot, through active conflict zones and without adequate food or water. Noah Taylor, head of operations in Sudan for the Norwegian Refugee Council, described the worsening situation, warning that countless more are still stranded in El Fasher, cut off from humanitarian assistance.
The stories of those who escaped are harrowing. Habib Allah Yakoub, 27, recounted walking with his pregnant wife to Tawila after their home was destroyed. “We spent two days on the road, but thank God we finally arrived,” he said, noting that he had been shot in the arm while trying to fetch water before their escape. Another survivor, Samiya Ibrahim, 38, said RSF gunmen besieged the house where she hid with her family. “The RSF had beaten and tortured us. They took all our belongings and did not leave us anything. Up till today, I have no idea where my husband is and whether he is alive or dead,” she explained, as her small child sat quietly beside her. She and her children trekked for days to reach Garni, a village along a critical humanitarian supply route.
Disturbing evidence of atrocities has surfaced as the fog of war lifts. UN officials and international media, including The Guardian, report that more than 450 people were killed inside a hospital during the RSF’s assault. There are credible accounts of ethnically targeted killings and sexual assaults, and videos have emerged showing civilians being shot, including in the town’s maternity ward. On November 3, 2025, a drone attack by the RSF struck a pediatric hospital in Kernoi, North Darfur, killing seven people—including children—and wounding five others, according to the Sudan Doctors Network.
Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court announced they are gathering evidence of mass killings, rapes, and other alleged crimes in El Fasher. The RSF has denied responsibility for these atrocities, but testimony from fleeing residents, online videos, and satellite imagery paint a grim picture of devastation and suffering. The full extent of the violence remains unclear, partly due to poor communications in the region, but the fragments that have emerged are chilling.
The numbers alone are staggering. The war between the RSF and the Sudanese military began in April 2023. The United Nations estimates that more than 150,000 people have been killed, and over 14 million have been displaced from their homes. Aid groups warn that the true death toll could be much higher, as disease outbreaks and famine take their toll across two regions of Sudan. “People are dying of malnutrition, disease and violence,” Guterres emphasized, underscoring the scale of the crisis.
At the heart of the conflict is a struggle for power between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces, a fight that has plunged the country into chaos and left ordinary Sudanese to bear the brunt. The RSF’s campaign in Darfur has been marked by brutality, with the siege of El Fasher representing a grim culmination of months of violence. Aid agencies and international observers have likened the current crisis to the atrocities of the early 2000s, when the world swore "never again" after genocide and ethnic cleansing in Darfur.
Guterres has called on the international community to act decisively. “It is important to gather all the international community and all those that have leverage in relation to Sudan to stop the fighting,” he said. He stressed the urgent need to halt the flow of weapons into Sudan and to establish mechanisms of accountability for those responsible for war crimes. “We need to create mechanisms of accountability because the crimes that are being committed are so horrendous.”
Despite these pleas, the prospects for peace remain uncertain. Guterres urged all parties to come to the negotiating table and end “this horrific violence, immediately.” Yet, with the RSF consolidating its hold over Darfur and the Sudanese military unable to regain control, the path forward is fraught with obstacles.
The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate by the day. Aid agencies warn that many people trapped in El Fasher and surrounding areas are at risk of starvation, unable to access food, clean water, or medical care. Disease outbreaks threaten to claim even more lives. The world watches as the crisis deepens, haunted by the memory of past failures in Darfur.
For those who have fled, survival is a daily struggle. In Tawila, makeshift tents of cloth and plastic provide scant shelter from the elements. Families are separated, with many uncertain if their loved ones are alive. The trauma of violence, loss, and displacement is etched into every story, every face.
As the international community weighs its response, the people of Sudan wait—caught between war and neglect, and yearning for a peace that has proved heartbreakingly elusive. The world’s vow of “never again” is being tested once more, and the stakes could not be higher.
