UN mission in El Fasher: Shocking testimonies about the humanitarian situation in Sudan
In a significant development concerning the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Sudan, the first UN mission to reach El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, revealed appalling realities regarding the living conditions and psychological state of civilians trapped there. This visit came two months after the Rapid Support Forces seized control of the city, and following what UN officials described as "arduous" negotiations to allow aid teams access.
Human trauma and degrading conditions
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, Denise Brown, issued stark warnings upon her return from El Fasher, describing the situation there as “deeply shocking.” In a press statement, Brown emphasized that civilians are facing “degrading and unsafe” living conditions, with many forced to live in abandoned buildings or under makeshift plastic sheeting, and with virtually no access to sanitation or clean drinking water, raising the specter of an imminent health catastrophe.
El Fasher: From a safe haven to a "ghost town"
El Fasher holds immense strategic and historical importance. For many years, it served as the last stronghold of the Sudanese army in the vast Darfur region, a major center for humanitarian operations, and a refuge for those displaced from other conflict zones. However, the city, once home to nearly a million people, has been reduced, according to the UN, to a “ghost town” and a “crime scene,” with large swathes of its infrastructure and homes destroyed.
The repercussions of the fall and the shift in the balance of power
The fall of El Fasher to the Rapid Support Forces at the end of last October, after a suffocating siege that lasted 18 months, is a pivotal turning point in the course of the Sudanese war that broke out in mid-April 2023. With the Rapid Support Forces’ control of this strategic city, they have tightened their grip on almost the entire Darfur region, thus strengthening their influence over about a third of Sudan’s area, which complicates the political and military landscape and increases fears of the country’s division or the prolongation of the conflict.
Alarming displacement figures
UN reports indicate that the recent attack, along with the accompanying violence and alleged massacres, has triggered a massive displacement, with more than 107,000 people fleeing the city in search of safety, leaving everything behind. The UN mission confirms that El Fasher has become a “hotbed of human suffering” in a war that has caused widespread destruction and the world’s largest displacement crisis.
