The city of El Fasher, in North Darfur, has become the epicentre of one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters after falling to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) from the national Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The takeover follows an 18-month siege and has led to mass killings, widespread starvation and mass displacement, according to the United Nations.
How did we get here?
The conflict began in April 2023, when the SAF and the RSF — once allies — turned on each other in a struggle for control of Sudan’s military and political future. The RSF, which evolved from the Janjaweed militias implicated in earlier Darfur atrocities, laid siege to El Fasher and gradually tightened control over the Darfur region’s urban centres.
What’s happened in El Fasher?
After the RSF took the city, the UN’s relief coordinator Tom Fletcher warned of “credible reports of widespread executions” and house-to-house violence. “Women and girls are being raped, people being mutilated and killed – with utter impunity,” he told the Security Council. The latest satellite imagery and investigations show clusters of bodies in El Fasher and indicate a pattern of deliberate, ethnically-targeted violence.
Humanitarian toll and displacement
The scale of suffering is staggering. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reported that El Fasher’s population has dropped by 62 per cent this year as civilians flee violence and hunger. An estimated 24 million people face acute food insecurity across Sudan, with some areas already in famine. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has described the situation in Darfur and Kordofan as a “worst-in-class” displacement crisis.
Regional implications
Martha Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, called the capture of El Fasher a “significant shift in the security dynamics” and warned of ethnic violence, mass atrocities and a broadening war zone across Sudan including Kordofan and Blue Nile.
What’s the international response?
The UN Security Council has expressed “grave concern” about escalating violence in and around the city, but implementation of aid and protection remains weak. Fletcher urged “immediate and robust action” to stop the flow of weapons into the conflict and ensure humanitarian access. “Blood on the sand … blood on the hands,” he said.
Why it matters
The fall of El Fasher signals that the RSF now controls all major urban centres in Darfur, raising the possibility of a de facto partition and prolonged conflict in Sudan. The international community faces a crucial test of whether it will act to protect civilians and uphold human rights — or allow a full-scale humanitarian collapse.
