Tom Fletcher, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, said he was “deeply alarmed” by reports of civilian casualties and forced displacement as fierce fighting engulfs the city.

“With fighters pushing further into the city and escape routes cut off, hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped and terrified – shelled, starving, and without access to food, healthcare or safety,” Mr. Fletcher said in a statement on Sunday.

He called for “an immediate ceasefire in El Fasher, across Darfur and throughout Sudan,” stressing that civilians must be allowed safe passage and humanitarian workers must be protected.

“Safe, rapid, and unimpeded humanitarian access must be allowed to reach all civilians in need,” he said. “We have lifesaving supplies ready, but intensified attacks have made it impossible for us to get aid in. Local humanitarian workers continue to save lives under fire.”

City under siege

El Fasher, the last major city in Darfur still under government control, has been under siege for more than a year.

According to media reports, the RSF – a paramilitary group that has been waging a brutal war against its former allies, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) – has claimed to have taken control of the city after seizing the army’s Sixth Division headquarters.

The Sudanese army has not yet commented, but the loss of El Fasher would mark a major setback for government forces and a potential turning point in the civil war that has ravaged the country since April 2023.

The conflict has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, displacing more than 11.7 million people, including 4.2 million who have fled as refugees to neighbouring countries, according to the UN figures.

Widespread civilian casualties

UN agencies have reported widespread civilian casualties and repeated attacks on medical facilities in the region in recent weeks.

At least 20 people were killed in strikes on a mosque and the Saudi hospital – the city’s last functioning medical facility – earlier this month. This followed nearly 100 civilian deaths in September.

Hold perpetrators to account

Mr. Fletcher condemned the continued targeting of civilians, hospitals and humanitarian operations, urging all parties to respect international law.

“Those responsible for violations of international humanitarian and human rights law must be held to account,” he said

He also reiterated the obligations set out under Security Council resolution 2736 (2024), which demands an end to the siege of El Fasher, the protection of civilians and unhindered humanitarian access across Sudan.