UN agencies issued urgent warnings on Friday about the rapidly worsening situation in Sudan, where conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has pushed the country deeper into one of the world’s most devastating humanitarian emergencies.
The war, which began in 2023 after tensions between the former allies exploded, has already killed at least 40,000 people, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Nearly 12 million people have been forced to flee their homes one of the largest displacement crises globally. Aid groups fear the real number of deaths could be far higher due to areas cut off from aid and communication.
El-Fasher Crisis: Civilians Trapped, Hospitals Attacked
The situation in North Darfur has grown especially dire. Last month, RSF fighters captured El-Fasher, the region’s capital, and stormed the Saudi Hospital, killing more than 450 people, WHO reported. Witnesses say RSF troops moved door-to-door, killing civilians and committing sexual assaults, forcing thousands to flee in terror.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) estimates that around 90,000 people have escaped El-Fasher and surrounding areas in just two weeks. Many, however, remain stranded along dangerous routes.
“They are stuck , unable to move further because the journey is too dangerous or because some risk being pushed back into El-Fasher,”
said Jacqueline Wilma Parlevliet, UNHCR’s Head of Sub Office in Port Sudan.
Among the displaced are people with disabilities, elderly civilians, and families separated during chaotic evacuations.
Food, Health, and Disease: A Triple Threat
WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier warned that Sudan’s food crisis is spiraling out of control, with over 21 million people facing severe hunger. Some towns have already slipped into famine.
Lindmeier also described catastrophic conditions in health care: people dying from lack of treatment, a spike in preventable diseases, and a rapidly growing cholera outbreak that has already caused over 3,500 deaths.
Landmines and Unexploded Weapons Add to the Danger
UNMAS (United Nations Mine Action Service) reported a sharp rise in casualties from landmines and unexploded ordnance , a result of heavy fighting in densely populated urban areas.
“The violence happening inside cities makes the risk even deadlier,”
said Sediq Rashid of UNMAS, speaking via video link from Sudan.
UN Orders Urgent Inquiry Into El-Fasher Atrocities
In Geneva, the UN Human Rights Council unanimously passed a resolution calling for an urgent investigation into the killings at Saudi Hospital and other alleged RSF abuses. An existing team of independent experts has been tasked with carrying out the inquiry.