Sudan: Civilians trapped in El-Fasher, UN calls for safe passage

Humanitarian access has been denied for civilians trapped in Sudan, El-Fasher, prompting the UN to call for significant action.

On October 27, the UN called for a safe passage for “trapped and terrified” civilians, after the Paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said their fighters had captured the army headquarters in the city, taking over the area.

According to The National via AFP, the UN chief, Tom Fletcher, spoke on the matter and expressed he was deeply concerned by reports of civilian casualties and forced displacement.

Fletcher stated, “With fighters pushing further into the city, an escape route cut off, hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped and terrified, shelled, starving and without access to food, healthcare or safety.”

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) issued a warning on October 15 that funding cuts could push more than 13.7 million people into extreme hunger.

Sudan, one of the countries hardest hit by funding cuts, saw the number of children suffering from malnutrition double in 2024.

Attacks on hospitals and humanitarian operations are causing extreme difficulty for people who need aid to receive it.

Fletcher emphasised the need for secure corridors and humanitarian access for civilians, while insisting that those who remain, including community aid workers, be safeguarded. He stressed that assaults on civilians, medical facilities, and relief efforts “must stop immediately.”

On October 21, thousands of civilians over two days fled the Sudanese city of El-Faher due to the deteriorating conditions.

Since April 2023, Sudan has been in a civil war, and since May 2024, it has been under siege by the RSF.

Attacks on hospitals have caused severe detriment since April 2023, with 90% being forced to close at various points during the conflict.

In early October, community kitchens that were feeding up to at least 3,000 people were also forced to close as the food supplies ran out, and it has been said that the RSF has blocked the humanitarian corridors leading to El-Fasher, which is causing a high number of deaths due to starvation.

The war in Sudan is reaching its third year, and the Sudanese army has not yet confirmed the RSF’s capture of the army headquarters in El-Fasher. If the capture does happen, it could mark a significant setback for the Sudanese armed forces.

Reports were made just in October when seven people were killed in RSF drone strikes in the north of Sudan, Al-Dabbah.

On the same day as this attack, a father and son were killed in a separate attack in East Nile state.

Thousands of people, including children, remain trapped in El-Fasher without food or aid, while relentless attacks on hospitals and civilians continue to escalate the humanitarian crisis.

The National via AFP, Maghrebi.org