PORT SUDAN —
Traumatised civilians remaining in Sudan’s El-Fasher city after its capture by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are surviving without access to clean water, sanitation, or adequate shelter, according to the United Nations’ humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, Denise Brown.
El-Fasher fell to RSF forces in October following more than 500 days of siege. Last Friday, a small UN humanitarian team was able to conduct its first brief visit to the city in nearly two years, amid reports of widespread destruction and mass atrocities.
According to Brown, the takeover of El-Fasher was accompanied by serious human rights violations, including alleged massacres, torture, and sexual violence. Satellite imagery reviewed by humanitarian officials reportedly shows evidence consistent with mass graves.
Describing the city as a “crime scene,” Brown said investigations into potential war crimes would be handled by human rights experts, while humanitarian agencies focus on restoring urgently needed aid to survivors.
“We were not able to see any detainees, but we believe detainees exist,” Brown said, noting limited access during the visit.
From a humanitarian perspective, El-Fasher remains the epicentre of Sudan’s crisis. Once home to more than one million people, the city is now facing famine, widespread destruction, and extreme civilian suffering.
“El-Fasher is a ghost of its former self,” Brown said, adding that large sections of the city have been destroyed and that many residents’ homes no longer exist.
Civilians who remain are living in highly precarious conditions. Some have taken refuge in abandoned buildings, while others are sheltering under plastic sheets without sanitation or running water.
“These are undignified and unsafe living conditions,” Brown warned.
Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since April 2023, when fighting erupted between the national army and its former allies, the RSF. The war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced more than 11 million, and triggered what the United Nations has described as the world’s worst humanitarian disaster.
During the visit, the UN team negotiated access with RSF forces and was able to briefly inspect a hospital and abandoned UN facilities. Movement was restricted due to fears of unexploded ordnance and landmines left behind after nearly two years of fighting.
The Saudi hospital in El-Fasher remains standing, but medical staff have exhausted most supplies. Only a small local market was functioning, offering limited produce in quantities that indicate severe economic hardship.
“There is a declared famine in El-Fasher,” Brown said. “We have been blocked from delivering aid, and there is nothing good about what has happened here.”
