The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned on Monday that displaced civilians in El-Fasher, North Darfur, are facing violence, looting, and harassment.
Denise Brown, the UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, said in a statement:
“Civilians in El-Fasher describe impossible choices—whether to remain trapped in the city or flee, only to face violence, harassment, and looting on unsafe roads.”
The UN has received reports of unlawful killings, kidnappings, arbitrary detentions, and indiscriminate attacks on markets, hospitals, and places of worship.
The RSF has escalated drone strikes on small shops after already destroying markets, hospitals, and water sources. It has also continued shelling El-Daraja al-Oula neighborhood, the last densely populated civilian area in the city.
Brown called for urgent measures to protect civilians, ensure access to food, water, and essential supplies, and guarantee safe corridors for those seeking to leave the city.
She stressed the need to lift the siege on El-Fasher and halt indiscriminate attacks, while issuing clear orders to prevent sexual violence and ethnically motivated assaults.
“Leaders and fighters are accountable for their actions under international law, which mandates the protection of civilians,” she said, adding that local responders and humanitarian workers must also be safeguarded.
The statement noted that UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged immediate steps to protect civilians and ensure safe, unimpeded, and sustained humanitarian access to El-Fasher.
