On a sweltering Saturday in early November, Sudan’s top military leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, made a rare public appearance in Al-Dabba city. The reason for his visit? To meet with civilians who had fled the city of El-Fasher—a city that, just days before, had been seized by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after a devastating 18-month siege. The images that emerged from Burhan’s visit were striking: the general, flanked by soldiers, walking through makeshift shelters, speaking directly with families whose lives had been upended by conflict.
According to the state-run SUNA news agency, Burhan’s message was clear. “The government places the issue of the displaced at the top of its priorities,” he stated, underscoring his administration’s commitment to providing dignified living conditions for those uprooted by war. Yet, as he surveyed the camps, it was impossible to ignore the enormity of the crisis facing Sudan—a country now described by the United Nations as the site of the world’s largest humanitarian disaster.
The events that led to this moment began in earnest on October 26, 2025, when the RSF captured El-Fasher, the last major city in the western Darfur region not under its control. The takeover was brutal. The World Health Organization reported that the RSF rampaged through the city’s Saudi Hospital, killing over 450 people. Eyewitnesses and survivors described house-to-house killings and sexual assaults. The RSF, for its part, denied carrying out killings at the hospital, but a flood of testimonies, videos, and satellite images painted a grim, apocalyptic picture of the attack.
The numbers tell a story of staggering human loss. Since the RSF’s assault, more than 16,200 people have fled to camps in Tawila, around 70 kilometers from El-Fasher, according to Adam Rojal, a spokesperson for Sudan’s IDPs and Refugee Camps. The International Organization for Migration estimates that as of November 4, some 82,000 people had fled El-Fasher and its surroundings, many on foot, seeking safety in already overcrowded camps. “We saw people murdered in front of us. We saw people being beaten. It was really terrible,” survivor Ezzeldin Hassan Musa told the BBC, recalling the horrors witnessed during the city’s fall.
Doctors Without Borders reported that at least 1,500 people arrived at Tawila Hospital with injuries since the RSF’s takeover—suffering from fractures and other trauma. The organization’s teams noted “extremely high levels of malnutrition among children and adults.” Families in the camps often survive on just two meals a day, sometimes only one, and the need for food, medicine, shelter, and psychological support is urgent and growing by the day.
General Burhan’s visit was not just a gesture of solidarity, but also a reflection of the government’s attempt to project control and compassion amid chaos. Official videos shared by Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council showed him interacting with displaced families, asking about their urgent needs. Yet, the challenges are immense. As the BBC reported, a crucial network of community kitchens—lifelines for millions—faces collapse due to neglect, shortages, and volunteer exhaustion. Islamic Relief, an aid organization, warned that most of these kitchens could close within six months, deepening the food crisis for those already teetering on the edge of starvation.
The broader picture is even more sobering. Since April 15, 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a war between the national army and the RSF, sparked by simmering tensions over control of the country. The World Health Organization estimates that at least 40,000 people have been killed, though the real toll could be much higher. Some 12 million people have been displaced, and nearly half of Sudan’s population—over 24 million—now faces acute food insecurity.
Despite numerous attempts at mediation by regional and international actors, peace remains elusive. On November 6, 2025, the RSF announced it had agreed to a humanitarian ceasefire proposed by the United States, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt—a plan that called for a three-month truce, followed by a permanent ceasefire and a transition to civilian rule. The RSF said it agreed “in order to address the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of the war” and to allow the “urgent delivery” of aid. The group also expressed hope for future discussions “that address the root causes of the conflicts” and create “the appropriate environment for a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace.”
But the Sudanese military government’s response was far from conciliatory. Sudan’s Charge d’Affaires in Nairobi, Mohamed Osman Akasha, told the BBC that the government would only accept a ceasefire if the RSF was dismantled, surrendered its weapons, and its leader was held accountable. “I have no information about a proposal for truce. The only thing that I know is the government of Sudan, the people of Sudan are very determined to defeat this militia,” Akasha said.
Meanwhile, the violence continues to escalate, not just in Darfur but also in neighboring regions. Early in November, a drone attack in El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan province, killed at least 40 people and wounded dozens more. A military official, speaking anonymously to the Associated Press, said the army had intercepted two Chinese-made drones targeting the city just days later. Jalale Getachew Birru, an East Africa analyst for the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, noted that the fall of El-Fasher and rising violence in North Kordofan mark a strategic victory for the RSF but have only “exacerbated human suffering.” Birru estimated that at least 2,000 people were killed across Sudan in a single week between October 26 and November 1.
The United Nations Human Rights Council has called an urgent session for November 14 to address the situation in El-Fasher, reflecting mounting international concern. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk warned that “traumatized civilians are still trapped inside el-Fasher and are being prevented from leaving,” adding, “I fear that the abominable atrocities such as summary executions, rape and ethnically motivated violence are continuing within the city.”
For those who have managed to escape, the journey to safety is perilous. “For those who manage to flee, the violence does not end, as the exit routes themselves have been the scenes of unimaginable cruelty,” Türk said. The path forward for Sudan remains fraught with uncertainty, as both the government and the RSF dig in, and the humanitarian crisis deepens with each passing day.
Amid the suffering and the political maneuvering, one thing is clear: the fate of millions of Sudanese civilians hangs in the balance, caught between warring factions and a world struggling to respond.
