The count of Sudanese individuals risking their lives to escape the besieged region of El Fasher in North Darfur is escalating as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) increase their assaults on the regional capital, as reported by aid organizations such as Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF). Romain Madjissembaye, the MSF project manager in Tawila, stated that the numbers have been steadily rising since mid-August. He mentioned that last week alone, around 90 critically ill individuals arrived, many of whom were malnourished and faced threats of execution and gunshots along the way.
Approximately 260,000 civilians, including 130,000 children, are trapped in El Fasher, surrounded by RSF militias on three sides, enduring more than 500 days of siege without access to essential supplies. Reports indicate that some residents are resorting to consuming animal feed to survive. MSF withdrew from El Fasher in August 2024 due to escalating security concerns and bombings.
Survivors reaching Tawila from El Fasher are sharing distressing accounts of conditions inside the city. One man arriving with gunshot wounds revealed that doctors at the remaining hospital in El Fasher were using mosquito nets for wound dressings. Reports also highlighted severe shortages of medical supplies and the presence of patients with bullets in their bodies requiring urgent care.
Tawila has transformed into a vast refugee camp housing hundreds of thousands displaced from El Fasher and the Zamzam displacement camp. During a recent visit, UN humanitarian coordinator Denise Brown labeled it as “one of the epicenters of a humanitarian catastrophe,” emphasizing the challenges in delivering aid due to multiple frontlines within Sudan.
Sudan has been embroiled in a devastating conflict since April 2023, with the RSF and Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) engaged in fierce confrontations. The RSF’s focus on El Fasher intensified after the SAF regained control of Khartoum earlier this year. Recent reports indicate that civilian gathering points like communal kitchens are increasingly targeted by RSF shelling as the fighting escalates.
International monitors have raised concerns about atrocities committed by both sides in the conflict. The RSF, under the leadership of General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, arose from the infamous Janjaweed militias accused of genocide in Darfur. The situation in Sudan has been described as the largest humanitarian crisis globally, with over 12 million people displaced since spring 2023.
Aid agencies are apprehensive about a worsening humanitarian crisis if the RSF captures El Fasher. MSF’s operational capacity is already strained, with challenges in receiving and distributing supplies due to security risks and militant interference. The conflict in Darfur has drawn comparisons to past atrocities, with concerns raised about the evolving technology of warfare leading to more brutal and devastating consequences.
