THE United Nations is urgently calling on Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces to allow safe passage for civilians trapped in El Fasher after the paramilitary group captured a strategic military base in the besieged city, dealing a major blow to the Sudanese army’s last stronghold in Darfur.
“The UN calls on the RSF to allow safe passage for them to leave,” Denise Brown, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, said following the takeover. “They need to demonstrate respect for international humanitarian law and let those people leave. Alternatively, they need to let us in.”
The RSF seized control of the military base in North Darfur’s capital on Monday, marking a pivotal moment in the more than year-long conflict. The capture represents a significant territorial shift that could further fragment the nation, with El Fasher having served as the final major bastion of the Sudanese military in the western region.
More than 26,000 people have been newly displaced from the city, the UN reported, adding to the hundreds of thousands of civilians already trapped under siege without adequate aid or safe escape routes.
Medical organisations report dozens of civilian deaths and the destruction of health facilities in recent clashes, though precise casualty figures remain unavailable. The city has experienced extensive damage in fighting that has intensified one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.
Brown noted that more than 128 aid workers have been killed since the war began, making security guarantees essential for any relief operations to proceed.
The fall of El Fasher could redraw Sudan’s territorial control and risk escalating the humanitarian catastrophe in a conflict that has already devastated the country for over a year.
