The United Nations is urgently negotiating entry into the devastated Sudanese city of al-Fashir amid mounting reports of large-scale atrocities following its capture by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher.
Speaking to Reuters from N’Djamena after touring parts of Darfur, Fletcher said the city must be treated as a potential “crime scene” due to credible testimony describing systematic executions, arbitrary detentions, widespread sexual violence, and the disappearance of civilians who remained after the RSF ended its siege and seized control in late October.
Fletcher warned that delivering aid will be a massive undertaking, noting that thousands of survivors are believed to be trapped inside the city with no access to food, clean water, or medical care. Many more have scattered into surrounding villages that humanitarian agencies still cannot reach.
Negotiations with the RSF for safe passage of aid convoys—and for civilians attempting to flee—remain “extremely delicate,” Fletcher said, though he expressed cautious optimism that access could be secured within “days or weeks.” Communications with al-Fashir were cut after the RSF assault, leaving the scale of the crisis unclear.
‘Horrific Scale’ of Violence Draws International Scrutiny
Al-Fashir’s fall on October 26 effectively cemented RSF control across the wider Darfur region, intensifying concerns within the international community about ongoing ethnic violence and reprisals. Fletcher cited consistent accounts of mass killings, torture, and sexual assaults.
“This is a city that has endured a suffocating siege for months. The remaining population is exhausted, traumatized, and in urgent need of help,” he said.
The RSF has denied orchestrating widespread atrocities, insisting that any abuses were isolated incidents under internal review. Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court has begun collecting evidence related to alleged war crimes in the city, including reports of mass graves.
More than 100,000 residents are believed to have fled al-Fashir since late October, though only a small portion reached Tawila, a nearby town controlled by neutral local forces and already overwhelmed with an estimated 500,000 displaced people.
Humanitarian Pathways ‘Utterly Perilous’
Fletcher described the route from Tawila to the Chadian border—a common escape path—as treacherous, with civilians facing up to 40 checkpoints, insecure roads, and the constant risk of extortion or violence. Very few have the means to complete the journey.
“These dangers highlight why securing full operational authority inside Darfur and al-Fashir is indispensable,” Fletcher emphasized.
He confirmed he also met with Sudanese army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in Port Sudan to push for broader nationwide access. Aid agencies have long complained that the army’s bureaucratic restrictions have obstructed life-saving operations, even in areas outside RSF control.
The U.N. insists that meaningful humanitarian support depends not only on unimpeded access but on concrete accountability measures for combatants implicated in the violence.
Source:Africa Publicity
