When the city of el-Fasher in Sudan’s western Darfur region fell to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on October 26, 2025, it triggered a mass exodus that threw tens of thousands of civilians into chaos and fear. According to ABC and the Associated Press, thousands scrambled to escape atrocities committed by the RSF, seeking refuge in already overcrowded camps, while many more remain unaccounted for or trapped in the city’s besieged ruins.
More than 80,000 of the estimated 260,000 civilians living in el-Fasher fled in the wake of the RSF’s violent assault, as reported by TIME. Yet, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) confirmed that only about 7,000 of those people have reached the nearest camp in Tawila, roughly 60 kilometers away. The fate of the tens of thousands still missing is a haunting question with no clear answer. "Everybody you talk to is missing family members," NRC’s director for Sudan, Shashwat Saraf, told TIME. "And it’s getting more difficult by the day."
The scenes described by aid workers and survivors are harrowing. The United Nations and local NGOs have relayed reports of cruel executions and widespread sexual violence following the RSF’s capture of the city. Witnesses have described “killing fields,” and, according to the International Criminal Court (ICC), such acts—if substantiated—may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute. One of the most devastating massacres took place at the Saudi Maternity Hospital, the last functioning hospital in el-Fasher as the city came under siege. World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Christian Lindmeier reported at a Geneva press briefing that gunmen abducted doctors and nurses from the hospital before returning to kill over 400 people, including staff and patients.
The violence has not spared those left behind. Malnutrition and famine have been reported in both el-Fasher and Kadugli, with the U.N. warning that the city has been "sealed off, with food, medicine and relief supplies blocked despite urgent appeals for access." One resident described to The Guardian the grim reality: "Our first struggle is the merciless hunger, and the second is the constant artillery shelling. Even the glow of a cigarette can alert the drones that fly overhead. So once we finish our meals, there is nothing to do but sit in silence."
For those who have managed to escape, the journey to safety is fraught with peril. The U.N. notes that for women and girls, the trek to camps like Tawila is "not a passage to safety, but a perilous ordeal marked by extortion, rape, and death." Aid workers in Tawila have recounted stories of women and children arriving without the men of their families—many reporting that their husbands were executed by militias en route. The NRC’s Saraf explained, “A lot of the young men, and men in general, would be considered as supporters of the Sudan Armed Forces, and would actually be targeted.”
The trek itself is a gauntlet. Civilians, fearing main roads patrolled by militias, are forced to travel through desert and bush, risking dehydration, disorientation, and abuse. "They come here completely dehydrated, disoriented. Some don't even know their [own] names. They have to be immediately taken for medical help and given IV fluid because they've not had water," Saraf told TIME. Extortion is rampant, with some groups demanding exorbitant sums—up to 5 million Sudanese Pounds (about $8,000)—for safe passage, a price far beyond the reach of most fleeing families. Saraf described meeting a man who arrived at the camp “completely bruised… he had been held, tied, and beaten because he was found on the road [by militias]. He somehow managed to escape and then came all the way to Tawila.”
Yet, even reaching Tawila brings no guarantee of relief. The camp, which already housed around half a million people before the recent influx, is overwhelmed. The Associated Press reported that families survive on just one or two meals a day, sometimes less. MSF (Doctors Without Borders) teams have observed “extremely high levels of malnutrition among children and adults.” According to Adam Rojal, spokesperson for Sudan’s IDPs and Refugee Camps, the displaced in Tawila are in urgent need of food, medicine, shelter materials, and psychosocial support.
Despite the dire need, humanitarian organizations face severe limitations. The NRC reports it has just 25% of the funding required to support those affected by the civil war, a situation exacerbated by a global decline in aid and the closure of U.S. government assistance earlier this year. Over 11.7 million people have been forced to flee their homes since the conflict erupted in April 2023, with at least 40,000 killed, according to the WHO. Nearly half of Sudan’s population now faces acute food insecurity.
The humanitarian crisis is compounded by ongoing violence. The U.N. Human Rights Chief Volker Türk warned that many civilians remain trapped in el-Fasher and are "being prevented from leaving." Türk expressed deep concern: "I fear that the abominable atrocities such as summary executions, rape and ethnically motivated violence are continuing within the city. And for those who manage to flee, the violence does not end, as the exit routes themselves have been the scenes of unimaginable cruelty."
The fighting has also spread beyond Darfur, with North Kordofan emerging as another epicenter. Early in the week, a drone attack in el-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, killed at least 40 people and wounded dozens more, the Associated Press reported. Jalale Getachew Birru, an analyst for East Africa with Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, told the AP that the fall of el-Fasher marks a strategic victory for the RSF but “exacerbates human suffering.” He estimated that at least 2,000 people were killed across Sudan in just one week between October 26 and November 1.
As the violence rages, diplomatic efforts continue. The United States has stated it is "actively engaged in efforts to bring about a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Sudan," working with international partners including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. On Thursday, the RSF announced it had agreed to a U.S.-led plan for a humanitarian cease-fire, expressing readiness to "immediately commence discussions on the arrangements for a cessation of hostilities and the fundamental principles guiding the political process in Sudan." The Sudanese army, for its part, welcomed the proposal but insisted it would only agree if the RSF withdraws from civilian areas and disarms.
For now, the people of el-Fasher and the wider Darfur region remain caught in the crossfire, their futures uncertain. Aid workers do what they can with limited resources, registering new arrivals and providing water and basic education, but the scale of need is overwhelming. Families are separated, many are missing, and the shadow of violence looms over every journey in search of safety. As the world watches, the fate of Sudan’s displaced hangs in the balance, a stark reminder of the human cost of war.
