Tom Fletcher, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, expressed being “deeply alarmed” by reports of civilian casualties and forced displacement as intense fighting overtakes the city.
“With fighters advancing further into the city and escape routes sealed, hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped and terrified – shelled, starving, and without access to food, healthcare, or safety,” Mr. Fletcher stated in a statement on Sunday.
He urged for “an immediate ceasefire in El Fasher, across Darfur, and throughout Sudan,” emphasizing the necessity for civilians to have safe passage and for humanitarian workers to be shielded.
“Safe, rapid, and unimpeded humanitarian access must be allowed to reach all civilians in need,” he stated. “We have lifesaving supplies ready, but intensified attacks have made it impossible for us to get aid in. Local humanitarian workers continue to save lives under fire.”
City under siege
El Fasher, the last major city in Darfur still under government control, has been besieged for over a year.
Media reports indicate that the RSF – a paramilitary group engaged in a brutal conflict with its former allies, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) – has claimed to control the city after capturing the army’s Sixth Division headquarters.
The Sudanese army has not yet commented, but losing El Fasher would signify a significant setback for government forces and a potential turning point in the civil war that has devastated the country since April 2023.
This conflict has generated one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, displacing over 11.7 million people, including 4.2 million who have fled as refugees to neighboring countries, according to UN figures.
Widespread civilian casualties
UN agencies have reported widespread civilian casualties and repeated attacks on medical facilities in the region in recent weeks.
At least 20 people were killed in strikes on a mosque and the Saudi hospital – the city’s last functioning medical facility – earlier this month. This followed nearly 100 civilian deaths in September.
Hold perpetrators to account
Mr. Fletcher condemned the continued targeting of civilians, hospitals, and humanitarian operations, urging all parties to respect international law.
“Those responsible for violations of international humanitarian and human rights law must be held to account,” he said.
He also reiterated the obligations set out under Security Council resolution 2736 (2024), which demands an end to the siege of El Fasher, the protection of civilians, and unhindered humanitarian access across Sudan.
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