The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has demanded an immediate ceasefire in Sudan’s city of El Fasher, where civilians remain trapped.
For more than 500 days, El Fasher has endured unbroken fighting between the Rapid Support Forces and General Abdel Fattah al Burhan’s army. Recent shelling has devastated neighbourhoods and targeted the Abu Shouk displacement camp, where famine conditions were identified at the end of last year.
Since mid-August, the UN has documented at least 125 civilian deaths, including reported executions, though officials warn the toll may be higher. The Secretary-General warned of grave breaches of humanitarian and human rights law, including ethnically motivated attacks against vulnerable communities.
Humanitarian supplies remain stranded outside the city, with 70 trucks of aid waiting in Nyala, South Darfur, blocked from reaching desperate civilians. UN officials said repeated attacks on aid workers and convoys have compounded the suffering, leaving relief efforts paralyzed by violence and obstruction.
Mr Guterres urged urgent measures to protect civilians, allow voluntary safe passage, and enable sustained humanitarian access into El Fasher and surrounding areas. He appealed directly to the warring parties to silence their weapons, describing the crisis as intolerable for families already scarred by displacement.
Meanwhile, his envoy for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, continues to press for dialogue and supports efforts to halt bloodshed and build an inclusive political settlement. As fighting rages on, the UN chief warned the world cannot look away from El Fasher’s torment, where survival hangs by a fragile thread.
