UN Sounds Alarm on Mass Abuses as El Fasher Empties
United Nations agencies said Wednesday they are “deeply alarmed” by mounting abuses against civilians fleeing El Fasher, the North Darfur capital seized last week by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). In updates from Khartoum and Geneva, officials described a pattern of executions, sexual violence, extortion, and attacks on people escaping the city, as local medics and aid groups scramble to cope.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said volunteers “publicly reported executions, sexual violence, humiliation, extortion and attacks,” and cited satellite analysis showing “at least two mass graves near a mosque and the former children’s hospital,” alongside multiple suspected body-disposal sites. The UN Population Fund reported that women and girls faced rape, abduction, and other extreme violence while fleeing.
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Medical needs are surging beyond capacity. OCHA said roughly 1,300 people with gunshot wounds reached Tawila—about 40 kilometers west—after being attacked on the road out of El Fasher. The International Organization for Migration estimated that nearly 82,000 people have fled El Fasher and surrounding areas since Oct. 26. Most are converging on Tawila, where needs far exceed available supplies.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said Chad has become a critical refuge, hosting 1.4 million people—mainly from Darfur—and warned of a new influx. “With escalating violence in El Fasher, another major influx into Chad is anticipated, placing additional pressure on host communities,” UNHCR said, urging urgent scale-up across health, water, sanitation, and protection.
The crisis is the latest flashpoint in Sudan’s war between the national army and RSF, which erupted in April 2023 and has devastated Darfur, a region long scarred by ethnic violence. OCHA reiterated its call for an immediate ceasefire and for all sides to respect international humanitarian law, including protection of civilians and safe, unhindered access for relief.
