The United Nations is urgently pressing for unhindered access to al Fashir, the besieged city in Sudan’s Darfur region, where humanitarian needs have reached catastrophic levels and witnesses report widespread atrocities following last month’s takeover by the Rapid Support Forces. UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said the situation in al Fashir has escalated into one of the most alarming crises in the region, warning that both immediate relief and future accountability are now critical priorities.
Al Fashir, once a major hub in North Darfur, has become the epicenter of both famine and violence. Continuous fighting, road blockades, and the deliberate obstruction of aid convoys have left tens of thousands of civilians trapped without food, medical services, clean water, or safe passage. Aid agencies say malnutrition rates have skyrocketed, with children and the elderly most at risk as stocks of grain and emergency supplies have been exhausted.
According to multiple testimonies gathered by humanitarian observers and local residents, the RSF’s takeover has been followed by a wave of reprisals targeting civilians perceived to be aligned with rival communities or resistant to RSF control. Witnesses described scenes of systematic killings carried out in residential neighborhoods, the detention of men and boys in makeshift facilities, and widespread reports of sexual violence against women and girls. Fletcher told Reuters that the UN is preparing for the scale of abuses to be “extensive and deeply disturbing,” requiring the city to be treated as a crime scene once investigators are allowed in.
Reaching al Fashir, however, remains a formidable challenge. All major routes leading into the city have been compromised either by active fighting or RSF checkpoints. Humanitarian convoys attempting to move supplies from neighboring regions have been repeatedly turned back or looted. Aid workers fear that many residents may not survive long enough for help to arrive, as famine conditions worsen by the day.
The crisis in al Fashir has renewed global urgency around the broader conflict in Sudan, which has now stretched into its second year. Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF has devastated key cities, displaced nearly nine million people and created one of the world’s largest humanitarian emergencies. Darfur, already scarred by the mass atrocities of the early 2000s, has seen a resurgence of ethnically targeted violence, raising fears of another large scale massacre unfolding in real time.
International calls for accountability are also growing louder. Fletcher emphasized that humanitarian access must be paired with investigations into the alleged crimes, noting that survivors deserve justice and the world must not turn away from credible reports of mass executions, torture, enforced disappearances, and rape. Human rights groups have also urged the UN Security Council to intervene more decisively to secure access and protect civilians.
Despite the significant obstacles, the UN continues to negotiate with all parties to gain corridor access to deliver food, medicine, water purification supplies, and shelter materials into al Fashir. “The needs are overwhelming and the suffering immense,” Fletcher said. “We must get in.”
As al Fashir stands on the brink of further devastation, the international community faces mounting pressure to break the siege, respond to the famine, and hold perpetrators of violence accountable. For residents of the city, the hope is simple: that help will arrive before it is too late.
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