In the heart of Sudan, a nation already battered by decades of conflict, the war that erupted in April 2023 between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has reached a devastating new chapter. On October 26, 2025, the RSF seized El Fasher, the capital of Darfur and the SAF's final major foothold in western Sudan, following an 18-month siege. According to FRANCE 24 and other outlets, the aftermath has been nothing short of catastrophic: reports of mass executions, sexual violence, attacks on civilians, humanitarian workers, and even a hospital have emerged, much of it documented by RSF fighters themselves. Hundreds of thousands of terrified residents fled before and after the city's fall, deepening a humanitarian crisis already described as one of the world's worst.
As the RSF's advance pushes the frontlines eastward toward Kordofan, the exodus of civilians continues and famine conditions worsen. The United Nations estimates that around 13 million Sudanese—about one-quarter of the population—have been displaced since the fighting began, with famine or near-famine gripping vast swathes of Darfur, Kordofan, and beyond. The World Food Programme (WFP) warns that more than 24 million people are facing acute food insecurity, with communities on the brink of starvation. "At a moment when WFP and its partners need to be expanding their reach, this decision forces WFP to implement unplanned leadership changes, jeopardising operations that support millions of vulnerable Sudanese facing extreme hunger, malnutrition, and even starvation," the agency said, after Sudanese authorities expelled its two top staff from the country on October 29, 2025.
Diplomatic efforts to halt the violence and deliver relief have repeatedly stumbled. In September, the so-called Quad—comprising the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt—brokered a peace roadmap calling for an immediate ceasefire and a nine-month transition to civilian rule. But the plan quickly ran aground. General Abdel Fatah al-Burhan, leader of the SAF, dismissed the proposal as a "foreign agenda" and insisted that any settlement must preserve the army's authority and Sudan's national institutions. He demanded the outright dissolution of the RSF as a precondition for peace, refusing to negotiate except to "end the rebellion." On the other side, RSF commander General Mohamed "Hemedti" Dagalo, emboldened by recent military successes, pressed for the dissolution and restructuring of the SAF, signaling deep mistrust and a belief that his forces could still secure outright victory.
The international community's response has been fractured and, critics say, ineffective. The United States convened indirect talks between SAF and RSF representatives just days before El Fasher's fall, but fighting only intensified. While the Quad's roadmap stressed the need to end external military support, such support has persisted. According to a leaked United Nations report from November 2024, there is "a consistent pattern…of cargo flights" from the UAE to Chad, with overland routes supplying the RSF—allegations that UAE officials have repeatedly denied. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and Egypt have continued to back the SAF, viewing it as the last bulwark against Sudan's total collapse and regional chaos. As UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash put it, only "careful thought and realism"—that is, a negotiated transition—can bring the war to an end.
On November 11, 2025, UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher arrived in Sudan for a week-long mission, meeting with General Burhan in Port Sudan, the de facto capital. Fletcher described their talks as "constructive," stating, "I very much welcome the constructive conversations with President Burhan this afternoon, aimed at ensuring we can continue to operate everywhere across Sudan to deliver in a neutral, independent and impartial way for all those in such dire need." According to the Sudanese army-backed council, Burhan reiterated "Sudan's keenness on cooperating with the United Nations and its various agencies." Yet, in practice, the expulsion of WFP's leadership and ongoing violence have made humanitarian access perilous and unpredictable.
Fletcher also met with top Egyptian and Sudanese diplomats, with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty urging the international community to "strengthen the international response to the current crisis and ensure humanitarian aid reaches the most affected groups." Despite these appeals and a truce agreed on November 6, 2025, mediated by the US, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Egypt, attacks have persisted. On the very day the RSF agreed to the truce, they shelled a hospital in South Kordofan, killing five people, while explosions rocked Khartoum the following day, as reported by the Sudanese Doctors' Union and FRANCE 24.
The Quartet's meeting in Washington immediately after El Fasher's fall reaffirmed support for the September roadmap and announced a new coordination mechanism to press for a humanitarian truce and longer-term ceasefire. But, as observers note, the gathering amounted to little more than a restatement of common goals, with no meaningful escalation of pressure on the warring parties. While the RSF has, on paper, agreed to the latest US-proposed truce, it continues its military campaigns in North Kordofan and Darfur, tightening sieges on towns like Al-Obied and Babanusa in West Kordofan. The SAF, for its part, has leveraged international outrage over RSF atrocities to justify its continued resistance, forging new alliances with Darfuri armed groups and other factions.
Amid the chaos, the United Nations' human rights chief has called for "independent" investigations into the atrocities in El Fasher. Arab and Islamic partners, including Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Qatar, have condemned the RSF's killing spree and demanded unfettered aid access. Yet, despite the chorus of condemnation, there has been no withdrawal of RSF fighters from urban areas, nor any meaningful respite for Sudan's civilians.
The risks of continued inaction are dire. Experts warn that if the RSF consolidates its hold on Darfur and pushes further east, Sudan could fracture along ethnic and regional lines, triggering new waves of refugees into Chad, South Sudan, Libya, and Egypt. Egypt's government, already rattled by the RSF's seizure of territory near the Sudan-Libya triangle, fears rebel incursions and disruptions to Nile security. Every day the conflict drags on, the prospects for a negotiated transition to civilian rule dim, and the possibility of a permanently fragmented Sudan becomes more real.
Ultimately, the international Quartet—despite its statements of unity—has failed to translate its words into concerted action. As foreign support continues to flow to both sides, the war threatens to outpace any diplomatic process, leaving Sudanese civilians to bear the brunt of violence, hunger, and displacement. Without a decisive shift in policy and coordination among external powers, Sudan's agony is set to deepen, with consequences that could ripple far beyond its borders.
The world watches as Sudan teeters on the brink, its fate hanging in the balance between war and the elusive promise of peace.
