Source: UN News: Monday, 03 November 2025 00:01 AM
The Sudanese city of Al Fashar was already suffering human suffering on a devastating level, but the events of the past few days have pushed it further into the dark abyss. Tom Fletcher, the UN chief for emergency relief, condemned the horrific mass atrocities carried out in Al Fashar following the capture of Al Fashar by paramilitary forces (RSF) during an emergency meeting of the Security Council on Thursday. Civilians trapped in the siege for more than 500 days are facing starvation, mass displacement, and hospitals, schools and displacement centers are being attacked. A large number of common people have been forced to flee their homes to escape the violence. Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Emergency Response, expressed deep outrage at the horrific incident of nearly 500 people being killed in a Saudi maternity hospital. He told representatives of member states during a Security Council meeting on Thursday that thousands of people have fled to Tawila, a city about 50 kilometers away, to save their lives. The majority of these are women and children and are at risk of being extorted, subjected to violence, or kidnapped. Amidst huge challenges, efforts are being made to deliver humanitarian relief to the needy population. So far, assistance has been provided to 1.35 crore people during the crisis prevailing in Sudan. Due to the violent conflict that broke out in April 2023 between the conflicting military forces, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Paramilitary Forces (RSF), 2.4 crore people, i.e. about 40 percent of the country’s population, are facing a deep hunger crisis. About 1.25 crore people are forced to be displaced. The crisis in Sudan is considered one of the most serious crises in the world. Al Fashar is a major center of this conflict, which RSF fighters have been besieging for the last one and a half years to gain control of it and now after taking control of the city, there are horrific reports of mass atrocities. Under-Secretary-General Fletcher said that ordinary people do not have enough food, and in the current circumstances, those households, which are responsible for women, are most affected. The United Nations has set up two special missions for relief efforts in Darfur and Kordofan. Has announced the release of an amount of millions of dollars. He said that the Security Council will have to take steps in three areas: atrocities will have to be ended and the culprits will have to be held accountable. A fully humanitarian approach will have to be provided for aid operations. Also, the humanitarian appeal for Sudan will have to be financially supported, in which currently only 25 percent of the funds have been received. Despite pledges to protect civilians, the reality is that no one is safe in Al Fashr. According to her, the RSF’s control of Al Fashr in North Darfur, after more than 500 days of siege, is a major change in the security landscape. Fighting has also intensified in Sudan’s Kordofan region, which Now the next front of violent conflict is being formed between the warring parties. Drone strikes are also being carried out in other provinces of the country, indicating that the scope of the fighting is now expanding. UN Assistant Secretary-General Akya Poby said it has come at a deep human cost. People have been targeted on the basis of ethnicity, sexual violence and mass killings have been carried out on a large scale. He stressed that all parties need to return to the negotiating table with full dedication. This is the only way by which Sudan can be prevented from disintegrating. At the same time, it has been appealed to the member countries that they will have to use their influence, so that the warring parties can be persuaded to take this step.