By Vibhu Mishra
26 October
2025
Tom Fletcher, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator,
said he was “deeply alarmed” by reports of civilian
casualties and forced displacement as fierce fighting
engulfs the city.
“With fighters pushing
further into the city and escape routes cut off, hundreds of
thousands of civilians are trapped and terrified –
shelled, starving, and without access to food, healthcare or
safety,” Mr. Fletcher said in a statement
on Sunday.
He called for “an immediate ceasefire in
El Fasher, across Darfur and throughout Sudan,” stressing
that civilians must be allowed safe passage and humanitarian
workers must be protected.
“Safe, rapid, and
unimpeded humanitarian access must be allowed to reach all
civilians in need,” he said. “We have lifesaving
supplies ready, but intensified attacks have made it
impossible for us to get aid in. Local humanitarian workers
continue to save lives under fire.”
City
under siege
El Fasher, the last major city in Darfur
still under government control, has been under siege for
more than a year.
According to media reports, the RSF
– a paramilitary group that has been waging a brutal war
against its former allies, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF)
– has claimed to have taken control of the city after
seizing the army’s Sixth Division headquarters.
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The
Sudanese army has not yet commented, but the loss of El
Fasher would mark a major setback for government forces and
a potential turning point in the civil war
that has ravaged the country since April 2023.
The
conflict has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian
crises, displacing more than 11.7 million people, including
4.2 million who have fled as refugees to neighbouring
countries, according to the UN figures.
Widespread
civilian casualties
UN agencies have reported
widespread civilian casualties and repeated attacks on
medical facilities in the region in recent weeks.
At
least 20 people were killed in strikes on a mosque and the
Saudi hospital – the city’s last functioning medical
facility – earlier this month. This followed nearly 100
civilian deaths in September.
Hold perpetrators to
account
Mr. Fletcher condemned the continued
targeting of civilians, hospitals and humanitarian
operations, urging all parties to respect international
law.
“Those responsible for violations of
international humanitarian and human rights law must be held
to account,” he said
He also reiterated the
obligations set out under Security
Council resolution 2736 (2024), which demands
an end to the siege of El Fasher, the protection of
civilians and unhindered humanitarian access across
Sudan.
