Daijiworld Media Network - United Nations

United Nations, Aug 30: UN secretary-general António Guterres has issued an urgent call for an immediate ceasefire in and around El Fasher, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur, where a brutal siege and relentless attacks have left hundreds of thousands of civilians in grave danger.

In a strongly worded statement released Friday, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Guterres is “appalled” by the ongoing assaults by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have turned El Fasher into a warzone under siege for over 500 days. The region has seen near-constant shelling and multiple deadly attacks, particularly targeting the Abu Shouk displacement camp — an area already marked by famine conditions as early as December 2024.

"The secretary-general is alarmed at the grave risks of serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, including those with ethnic motivations," said Dujarric. Since August 11, the UN has documented at least 125 civilian deaths in the region — many through summary executions — though the actual toll is believed to be significantly higher.

The humanitarian situation has rapidly deteriorated. An estimated 260,000 people — half of them children — remain trapped inside El Fasher, cut off from aid for more than 16 months. UNICEF reports more than 10,000 children have been treated for severe acute malnutrition since January 2025, nearly twice the number from the previous year. At least 63 people, mostly women and children, reportedly died of malnutrition in a single week.
Despite pre-positioned aid supplies nearby, humanitarian efforts to access the city have been repeatedly obstructed by violence, including direct attacks on aid workers and assets. The UN stressed the urgent need for safe, unhindered, and sustained delivery of humanitarian assistance, and for civilians who wish to leave the area to do so without risk.

Guterres’ call underscores the worsening crisis in North Darfur, which the UN’s humanitarian office describes as the epicentre of suffering in Sudan. With the siege dragging on and violence escalating, the international community is under mounting pressure to act — not just to stop the bloodshed, but to prevent a looming famine-driven tragedy in El Fasher.