The Sudan conflict worsens as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) tighten their siege on El-Fasher, forcing mass displacement and triggering one of Africa’s worst humanitarian crises
The humanitarian crisis in Sudan’s North Darfur has reached devastating new levels as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) tighten their siege on El-Fasher, the last major Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) stronghold in western Sudan.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) sheltering in El-Fasher plunged by 70 percent, dropping from around 699,000 to 204,000 between March and September 2025. The city’s overall population has shrunk by 62 percent, from 1.11 million to just 413,454 people.
Population Collapse Amid Renewed Fighting
The sharp population decline followed the Sudanese army’s recapture of Khartoum in March, which prompted the RSF to shift its focus to consolidating power in Darfur. Since then, El-Fasher has endured relentless attacks, effectively turning the city into a humanitarian catastrophe zone.
The conflict, which erupted in April 2023, has been described by the UN as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, displacing millions both inside and outside Sudan.
In April alone, nearly 500,000 residents were forced to flee Zamzam IDP camp—almost its entire population—in one of the year’s deadliest mass displacement events.
Mass Exodus to Chad and Other Regions
Cross-border movement into Chad has surged 45 percent year-on-year, reaching nearly 1.2 million refugees in 2025. For those unable to leave Sudan, displacement to nearby areas has skyrocketed — the Tawila locality’s IDP population more than doubled from 238,000 to 576,000 in six months.
Satellite imagery from the Yale Humanitarian Lab reveals that the RSF has constructed earthen berms almost entirely encircling El-Fasher, cutting off food, medical aid, and fuel supplies. The siege has trapped tens of thousands of civilians with little hope of escape.
Atrocities and Escalating Violence
Recent weeks have brought escalating violence and war crimes allegations. A drone strike on a mosque in September killed more than 70 worshippers during Friday prayers, sparking fears of “ethnically motivated killings” if El-Fasher falls to the RSF.
The RSF has been repeatedly accused of targeting non-Arab communities, with fighters recording themselves using racial slurs against victims.
A UN investigation in September accused both sides of atrocities, but particularly condemned the RSF for committing “murder, torture, enslavement, rape, sexual slavery, and forced displacement.”
Health, Hunger, and the Collapse of Basic Services
A UN survey in August found that 87 percent of households in El-Fasher need medical care, yet 78 percent cannot access it due to destroyed hospitals and insecurity. Food insecurity has also worsened, with 89 percent of families surviving on poor or borderline diets.
Since the siege began, UNICEF has verified over 1,100 grave violations against children — including more than 1,000 killed or maimed.
Strategic Battle for Control
The battle for El-Fasher has become the defining fight of Sudan’s civil war. The RSF now controls most of western Sudan, including nearly all of Darfur, while the Sudanese army holds the north and east.
In July 2025, the RSF and its allies declared a “parallel government”, deepening Sudan’s political fragmentation. Analysts warn that if El-Fasher falls, the RSF will control nearly the entire Darfur region, further entrenching the crisis.
As El-Fasher’s population collapses and aid access remains blocked, humanitarian groups warn that the North Darfur siege could mark a devastating new phase in Sudan’s already catastrophic war.