UN: Horrifying testimonies from El Fasher confirm systematic massacres
In an interview aired on CNN on 17 November 2025, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said, following his direct return from Darfur, that what he heard from survivors and witnessed on the road to El Fasher “defies description,” confirming a consistent pattern of mass killings, mass rape, and house-to-house attacks carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in recent weeks.
Fletcher explained that he met large numbers of people fleeing along the roads between El Fasher, Tawila, and Kuma, most of whom “still carry the marks of terror and escape.” He recounted the story of a young woman who saw her neighbor and her husband killed in front of her, then carried the neighbor’s malnourished child throughout the journey before she herself was attacked, an assault that ended with her leg broken. He said: “This is not an isolated case, but one of dozens of identical testimonies we hear every day.”
The UN official noted that the United Nations possesses “a large body of evidence” gathered from survivors and humanitarian partners, but he avoided detailing the methods of collection to protect humanitarian workers “who have been directly targeted during the conflict.” He called for the urgent deployment of international investigators “with guarantees ensuring independence and neutrality.”
Fletcher affirmed that attempts by the RSF “to conceal its crimes through ridiculous propaganda videos or media polishing on certain channels” have failed in the face of the overwhelming evidence available.
He also spoke about his meeting with General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan in Port Sudan, explaining that he received from him “clear commitments” to allow UN access to affected areas based on humanitarian need. He added that the organization “will hold all parties accountable for implementing these commitments.” Fletcher noted that he also discussed with RSF leadership the issue of access to El Fasher and received similar promises, but stressed that any entry “will only occur under UN terms.”
During the interview, the CNN anchor raised the accusations regarding the UAE’s role in the conflict, amid expanding reports that it has supplied the RSF with weapons. Although Fletcher refrained from direct comment due to his position, he confirmed that accountability must include “the one who pulls the trigger, the one who gives the order, and the one who supplies the weapons.”
At the conclusion of his remarks, he said the UN’s humanitarian response plan for Sudan is funded at only 32%, forcing agencies to make “painful decisions daily.” He stressed that Sudan “does not need more weapons; it needs food, medicine, water… and above all, peace.”
