EL FASHER – The United Nations expressed deep concern over reports of grave human rights violations in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, which remains under a long siege. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), civilians in the city face unlawful killings, abductions, arbitrary detention, and indiscriminate attacks that have struck markets, hospitals, and places of worship.
The humanitarian situation has deteriorated to the point where residents see no viable options. Those who remain in El Fasher continue to endure bombardment and severe shortages of essential supplies, while those who attempt to leave face violence, looting, and harassment along unsafe routes.
El Fasher has been surrounded for months by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Continuous ground assaults, airstrikes, and artillery fire have devastated the city and left it on the edge of famine. The blockade has forced many families to risk escape despite the dangers, while those who stay behind are increasingly cut off from food, water, and medicine.
The United Nations has stressed the need for immediate measures to protect civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law. It has called for establishment of safe and accessible routes for those wishing to leave the city, while ensuring that aid supplies reach those who remain trapped. Access to Food, clean water, and other basic necessities is seen as critical to preventing an even greater disaster.
The UN has also emphasized that the indiscriminate use of violence must stop. It has highlighted the urgent need to prevent sexual violence and ethnically motivated attacks, underlining that commanders and fighters alike carry responsibility for such actions under international law.
The situation in El Fasher represents one of the most severe humanitarian emergencies in Sudan’s ongoing conflict. The siege has disrupted supply lines, emptied local markets, and left hospitals unable to provide adequate care due to the lack of medicine. Humanitarian agencies warn that unless the blockade is lifted, the city could face mass starvation and further atrocities.
The UN has urged all parties to uphold their obligations under international law, stressing that civilians must not be used as instruments of war. It has also underlined that leaders and combatants will be held accountable for violations committed against the population.
International concern continues to grow over the trajectory of the conflict in Darfur. Rights groups warn that the current pattern of violence in El Fasher, including ethnically targeted assaults, risks repeating the darkest episodes of the region’s past. The UN insists that lifting the siege and guaranteeing the protection of civilians are urgent priorities, warning that failure to act will plunge the city into an even deeper humanitarian catastrophe.
