Jacqueline Wilma Barlivliet, head of the UNHCR office in Sudan, said that many civilians remain trapped in El Fasher with “little to no options”, and that UN agencies are unable to reach them.
She reported that RSF forces had entered the city, sparking “widespread fear among families who have endured 500 days of relentless siege and bombardment.” Around 26,000 people have fled El Fasher in recent days, she added.
Barlivliet said civilians escaping the fighting face harassment, extortion, arbitrary arrests, detention, looting, and grave human rights abuses as they pass through armed checkpoints in search of safety.
Testimonies from those reaching the town of Tawila, about 50 km away, describe an escalating humanitarian and protection crisis, according to UN reports.
When asked whether the UN could deliver aid to El Fasher, Barlivliet said repeated calls for a humanitarian truce and safe access had gone unanswered, stressing that “no safe routes currently exist” for UN operations in the city.
She estimated around 260,000 civilians remain inside El Fasher, though precise figures are difficult to verify under current conditions.
