In the heart of North Darfur, the city of El Fasher is enduring one of its darkest chapters as violence intensifies between Sudanese government forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Over just three days in early October 2025, at least 53 civilians lost their lives and more than 60 were wounded in a surge of fighting that has drawn sharp condemnation from the United Nations and the international community. The escalating conflict has left residents trapped, terrified, and desperate for aid, while raising urgent questions about the world’s willingness—and ability—to intervene.
According to the United Nations, the violence in El Fasher and its surrounding areas has reached alarming new heights. UN officials have accused the RSF of committing grave crimes, including murder, rape, and repeated attacks on civilian infrastructure. The Sudan Doctors Network reported that at least a dozen civilians, including women and children, were killed in an RSF attack on one of the last functioning hospitals in El Fasher, with 17 others injured. This tragic incident came just a day after a reported strike on the hospital’s maternity ward, further compounding the suffering of already vulnerable populations.
The horror did not end there. The UN Human Rights office confirmed that the shelling also struck a nearby mosque where families were seeking refuge. More than a dozen people were killed in this attack, underscoring the indiscriminate nature of the violence and the total disregard for civilian life. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk did not mince words, stating, “Despite repeated calls, including my own, for specific care to be taken to protect civilians, they continue instead to kill, injure, and displace civilians, and to attack civilian objects, including IDP shelters, hospitals and mosques, with total disregard for international law. This must end.”
Disturbingly, at least seven other civilians were summarily executed following ground raids by the RSF, in what UN officials described as ethnically motivated killings. Both the RSF and the Sudanese military are facing accusations of alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, and both are currently under investigation by the International Criminal Court. The gravity of the situation has prompted Türk to call for urgent action from UN Member States with direct influence in the region. He urged them to “protect civilians and to prevent further atrocities” not only in El Fasher but across the entire Darfur region.
The roots of this crisis run deep. Sudan has been embroiled in conflict since 2023, when tensions between the RSF and the Sudanese military erupted into open warfare. Darfur, long a flashpoint for violence and displacement, has been at the epicenter of the fighting. The war has already claimed more than 40,000 lives and forced over 14 million people to flee their homes. Famine has been declared in parts of the country, including Darfur, compounding the suffering of millions.
El Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur, has been under siege for more than a year. The UN and other humanitarian organizations warn that some 260,000 civilians remain trapped in the city, cut off from essential supplies and medical care. Hundreds of thousands more have fled to Tawila, a city just outside El Fasher, where about 600,000 internally displaced people now reside. The journey to safety is perilous; Denise Brown, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, recently recounted meeting a woman who had traveled for seven days on a donkey with her children—including a severely malnourished baby—to escape the violence.
“Local actors on the ground in El Fasher are doing what they can to provide some very limited basic assistance,” Brown said, according to Arab News. “It’s totally insufficient.” She emphasized that the UN humanitarian plan for Sudan is only 25 percent funded, a stark indicator of the challenges facing aid agencies as they attempt to respond to what Brown called “a humanitarian catastrophe.”
The devastation in El Fasher is mirrored in the surrounding region. The Abu Shouk and Daraja Oula neighborhoods, as well as the El Fasher displaced persons camp, have been targeted by drone and artillery strikes from the RSF, resulting in dozens of deaths. The violence has not only destroyed lives but also the infrastructure that supports them. Hospitals, mosques, and shelters for internally displaced persons (IDPs) have all come under attack, leaving survivors with nowhere to turn.
The international response has so far been limited, hampered by both the complexity of the conflict and the sheer scale of the humanitarian need. The UN’s repeated calls for the protection of civilians have gone largely unheeded, and efforts to negotiate access to besieged areas like El Fasher have met with significant obstacles. Brown noted that while the UN is working to secure access, the situation on the ground remains dire. “People are involving kids in meal planning, which builds awareness around food use,” she said, highlighting the resilience and resourcefulness of those affected, but also the desperate need for more substantial support.
The broader context is grim. The war in Sudan has displaced more than 10 million people, making it one of the world’s largest displacement crises. In Tawila alone, the influx of refugees from El Fasher has overwhelmed local resources. Brown described Tawila as “one of the epicenters of, frankly, what is clearly a humanitarian catastrophe here.” Despite the efforts of local and international actors, the scale of the crisis far outstrips available aid.
The violence in El Fasher is not an isolated incident. Both the RSF and the Sudanese military have been implicated in repeated violations of international law, including attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure. The International Criminal Court’s ongoing investigations underscore the seriousness of the allegations, but accountability remains elusive. As the conflict drags on, the people of El Fasher—and Sudan more broadly—continue to pay the price.
The UN’s warnings are stark. Without immediate and concerted action from the international community, the situation in El Fasher and across Darfur is likely to deteriorate even further. The people trapped in the city face not only the threat of violence but also the looming specter of famine and disease. Aid agencies are stretched to the breaking point, and the world’s attention is divided by crises elsewhere.
Yet, amid the despair, there are glimmers of hope. The resilience of the people of El Fasher, the dedication of local aid workers, and the persistence of UN officials offer a reminder that even in the darkest times, humanity endures. The challenge now is for the international community to match that resilience with action, ensuring that the people of El Fasher are not forgotten.