The city of El Fasher, capital of North Darfur in western Sudan, has fallen after months of fierce fighting. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) declared control of the city in late October 2025 after an eighteen-month siege that left tens of thousands dead and much of the city in ruins. The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, withdrew, ending their last major holdout in the Darfur region.
This marks a major turning point in Sudan’s two-year civil war. With El Fasher captured, the RSF now dominates almost every major town in Darfur. What follows is a humanitarian disaster on a scale the country has not seen in decades.
A City Under Siege
For over a year and a half, residents of El Fasher lived under siege. Supply routes were cut off, food became scarce, and humanitarian aid struggled to reach the city. Many civilians survived on animal fodder and stagnant water. When the RSF finally entered in late October, witnesses reported scenes of horror mass executions, abductions, and looting across entire neighborhoods.
Hospitals were not spared. The city’s Saudi Maternity Hospital, one of the last remaining medical facilities, was repeatedly attacked. In the final days of fighting, hundreds of patients and staff were reportedly killed. Medical personnel described operating without electricity, blood supplies, or safety. By the end of the siege, nearly all hospitals in the city were destroyed or abandoned.
Those who managed to flee described horrific scenes on the roads out of town. Families were separated or killed while escaping. Aid organizations estimate that more than 60,000 people fled El Fasher in the first week after its fall, yet only a fraction reached safe areas. The rest are missing, trapped, or presumed dead.
The Humanitarian Collapse
The humanitarian situation in Darfur has deteriorated beyond measure. With El Fasher gone, aid agencies warn that an entire region is sliding toward famine. Food warehouses have been looted, aid convoys attacked, and humanitarian access blocked from both sides. Displacement camps that once offered refuge are now overcrowded and undersupplied.
Children are suffering the most. Aid workers in nearby towns have reported that every child under five arriving from El Fasher is acutely malnourished, and more than half are in a life-threatening condition. Diseases such as cholera and measles are spreading rapidly, worsened by the destruction of water and sanitation systems.
Doctors working with international relief groups have described scenes of desperation. Mothers give birth in makeshift tents with no clean water or medical tools. Vaccines have spoiled without refrigeration. Many hospitals are using expired medicines or none at all. Health workers themselves are frequent targets of violence; dozens have been killed, kidnapped, or disappeared.
Allegations of Atrocities
Human rights groups and eyewitnesses have accused the RSF of committing widespread atrocities following their takeover of El Fasher. Reports describe systematic executions of civilians, sexual violence against women, and the targeting of specific ethnic groups. Satellite imagery shows burned villages and mass graves around the city’s outskirts.
The Sudanese government has accused the RSF of genocide and war crimes, calling for international investigations. Survivors say the violence mirrors the darkest days of the Darfur genocide two decades earlier. Many fear that without immediate global attention, history is repeating itself.
One survivor, a teacher named Alkheir Ismail, recounted how his wife was killed by an airstrike days before the city fell. “The streets were full of dead bodies,” he said. “We walked at night with my children, hiding behind burned cars. We just ran and prayed.” Another woman, Rasha, said she was sexually assaulted by fighters while searching for her missing sons. “They let me go, but I don’t know if my boys are alive,” she said.
A Country Divided
The battle for El Fasher is part of a much larger war that began in April 2023. What started as a power struggle between the Sudanese army and the RSF has become a full-blown national collapse. Both groups emerged from Sudan’s fractured military system following the overthrow of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir in 2019. Instead of steering the country toward democracy, the two generals who once shared power turned their weapons on each other.
Now, Sudan is divided between two rival authorities: the SAF controlling parts of the east and north, and the RSF holding Darfur and much of the west. Entire provinces have become battlefields. Cities once bustling with life Khartoum, Omdurman, Nyala, and now El Fasher are shells of destruction.
The RSF’s origins trace back to the notorious Janjaweed militias that terrorized Darfur in the early 2000s. Their new campaign bears striking resemblance to those earlier atrocities. Analysts say ethnic tensions, revenge, and control over resources are driving the violence as much as politics.
The Fight for Resources and Power
Beyond ideology, Sudan’s war is fueled by control over wealth and natural resources especially gold. The RSF is believed to profit from gold mining and smuggling networks, trading the metal abroad in exchange for weapons and funding. The army, meanwhile, controls state-owned industries, land, and ports on the Red Sea. Both sides rely on external backers and exploit Sudan’s economy to sustain the war.
Ordinary Sudanese citizens are the ones paying the price. Inflation has soared, food and fuel are unaffordable, and millions have lost jobs or homes. Banks are shuttered, communications are sporadic, and the education system has collapsed. For many families, survival depends on remittances from relatives abroad or aid deliveries that may never arrive.
The Human Cost
The United Nations estimates that over twelve million people are displaced across Sudan one of the largest displacement crises in the world today. More than forty thousand people are believed to have been killed, though the true number could be much higher. Millions are living in makeshift shelters, often without food, clean water, or security.
Disease outbreaks are spreading quickly. The cholera epidemic that began in 2024 continues to claim lives, especially in overcrowded camps where sanitation is nonexistent. Doctors Without Borders and other relief agencies warn that if access does not improve, thousands more could die in the coming months.
Children face an especially grim future. Millions are out of school, and many are separated from their families. Malnutrition and trauma are rampant. Some are recruited by armed groups or forced into labor simply to survive. Aid groups describe Sudan as a “lost generation in the making.”
International Response and Diplomacy
The global response has been muted. Repeated ceasefire attempts have collapsed within days. International mediation efforts involving regional and global powers have produced little progress. Meetings between foreign governments have so far led only to symbolic committees and statements, with no binding enforcement.
Meanwhile, accusations of foreign interference complicate peace efforts. Sudan’s government has accused several regional powers of supplying weapons or funding to one side or the other. As diplomatic efforts stall, humanitarian agencies struggle to deliver aid in an increasingly dangerous environment.
Even religious and international leaders have begun to raise alarm. Appeals for humanitarian corridors, protection of civilians, and unimpeded aid access have grown louder, yet the violence continues unabated.
What Happens Next
With Darfur now largely under RSF control, the next likely battleground is the central region of North Kordofan. If the city of El Obeid falls, the RSF could push eastward toward the Nile, threatening what remains of the army’s strongholds. Such a scenario risks the complete fragmentation of Sudan into rival territories.
The humanitarian outlook is equally dire. Food shortages are expected to worsen, displacement could exceed fifteen million by early next year, and famine is a growing threat. Aid organizations warn that without immediate intervention, this could become one of the deadliest conflicts of the 21st century.
A Path Toward Hope
Despite the bleak reality, several steps could help. First, warring parties must agree to cease hostilities and allow humanitarian corridors. Civilians, hospitals, and aid workers need protection under international law. Second, accountability for war crimes is essential without justice, there can be no lasting peace. Third, Sudan’s economy and governance must be rebuilt on civilian rather than military foundations.
Long-term stability will also require addressing the root causes of Sudan’s repeated conflicts: inequality, corruption, and exclusion of marginalized regions like Darfur. Empowering local communities and ensuring fair resource distribution could help prevent future wars.
A Global Test of Will
Sudan’s tragedy is not only a local crisis but a global test of moral will. As the world focuses on other conflicts, the suffering in Darfur deepens in silence. Every day, families flee with nothing but the clothes they wear. Children sleep under open skies, mothers dig shallow graves, and doctors operate by candlelight.
For the international community, this is a moment of truth. If the world continues to look away, Sudan may become a symbol of how indifference can kill a nation. But if meaningful action is taken—through diplomacy, aid, and accountability there remains a chance to save millions of lives and rebuild hope from the ashes.
Final Thoughts
The fall of El Fasher is more than just the loss of a city; it represents the collapse of Sudan’s social fabric and the failure of the world to act in time. It is a warning that conflicts driven by greed, power, and revenge can destroy nations if left unchecked.
Yet amid the darkness, ordinary Sudanese people continue to show courage nurses tending to the wounded, volunteers distributing food, parents shielding children from gunfire. Their resilience is a reminder that even in the face of devastation, humanity endures.
Sudan stands at a crossroads. The next few months will determine whether the country descends further into chaos or begins the long path toward peace. For now, its people wait for safety, for justice, and for the world to remember them.
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