Thousands Escape El-Fasher as Conflict Engulfs Darfur’s Last Government Stronghold

More than sixty thousand people have fled the Sudanese city of El-Fasher after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces took control, bringing an end to an eighteen-month siege and marking a turning point in Sudan’s ongoing civil conflict. The capture of the city leaves the Sudanese army without any remaining stronghold in the Darfur region, signaling a grim escalation in a war that has already displaced millions and devastated entire communities.

Eyewitnesses and aid workers report that families left on foot, walking as far as seventy kilometers to reach the Tawila refugee camp. Many carried only what they could hold, escaping hunger, violence, and the complete collapse of essential services. The journey, made under harsh conditions and without access to adequate food or water, reflects the desperation of civilians caught in one of the world’s most catastrophic humanitarian crises.

Relief organizations warn that thousands remain trapped inside El-Fasher amid reports of summary executions, sexual violence, and large-scale looting. The United Nations has demanded urgent investigations and accountability for atrocities committed during and after the city’s fall. Seif Magango, spokesperson for the UN human rights office, described the situation as horrifying, citing verified accounts of mass killings, rapes, attacks on aid workers, and abductions.

The Rapid Support Forces, once part of the Janjaweed militias accused of genocide during Darfur’s earlier conflict, have been battling Sudan’s national army since April 2023. Their victory in El-Fasher consolidates control over most of Darfur and further weakens the central government’s already fragile authority.

Sudan now faces the world’s largest displacement crisis. Nearly fourteen million people, more than a quarter of the population, have been forced from their homes. Food insecurity has reached famine levels, while outbreaks of cholera and other deadly diseases spread through overcrowded camps. With humanitarian access restricted and violence still spreading, aid agencies warn that the suffering could intensify unless the warring sides agree to a ceasefire and open safe corridors for relief operations.