Civilian killings continue unabated in several Sudanese cities besieged by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which are preventing humanitarian aid from reaching trapped populations, according to Denise Brown, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan.
Brown told Al Jazeera that the atrocities committed against civilians in El Fasher — the capital of Darfur — after the RSF seized control in October are now being repeated in Babanusa and Kadugli in the Kordofan region.
Tens of thousands of civilians continue to flee mass violence and killings, with virtually no access to humanitarian support. Brown described the attacks as “systematic,” adding that she met people who walked 20 kilometers in worn-out shoes under extremely harsh conditions.
She said 10 million people displaced by violence are now in urgent need of food, water, shelter, child services, medicine, and healthcare — all while essential facilities lie in ruins. The UN, she added, remains far from meeting these needs due to severe funding shortfalls, having received only 32% of the support requested at the start of the year. The escalating crisis in El Fasher and other cities, she stressed, requires additional funding.
Regarding efforts to enter El Fasher, Brown explained that the UN’s role is limited to engaging both warring parties — currently the RSF — in line with international principles designed to protect aid teams from armed attacks. These principles require unescorted access, the ability to reach detainees, and the evacuation of wounded civilians. “We are very clear on what must be guaranteed for all humanitarian organizations to enter El Fasher and other areas safely,” she said.
Brown expressed hope that a small UN team would soon enter El Fasher to assess the situation but cautioned that such a move requires extreme vigilance because the city has become a “killing field.”
She emphasized that Sudan now faces an overwhelming list of humanitarian priorities, with millions of displaced civilians in desperate need of immediate assistance. Above all, she said, the violence must stop — “it has become extremely difficult.”
