UN warns of ‘catastrophic’ humanitarian crisis in Sudan’s Darfur

This article is published in association with United Nations.

The UN’s top humanitarian official in Sudan has warned of an impending catastrophe in Darfur, with civilians facing relentless violence, sexual abuse and starvation.

All this, while aid convoys remain blocked from reaching hundreds of thousands trapped close to the frontlines and as the military government and their rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia battle for control of Sudan.

Speaking from Tawila, 50 kilometres (about 31 miles) from El Fasher in North Darfur, Humanitarian Coordinator Denise Brown described the immense obstacles to even reaching the area:

“It took us five days, through three countries, three different airplanes and three days of driving. We had to go around because there are so many frontlines within Sudan. It becomes very, very difficult to get where we need to go.”

She called Tawila “one of the epicentres of a humanitarian catastrophe” and said it now hosts some 600,000 displaced people, mostly fleeing fighting around the besieged regional capital El Fasher since April.

Across Sudan, nearly 12 million have been uprooted, making it the world’s largest displacement crisis.

Aid blocked, civilians besieged

Ms. Brown’s appeal comes amid growing alarm that El Fasher, the last major city in Darfur still under government control, could fall to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after more than 500 days of siege.

Aid groups warn that 260,000 civilians remain trapped without safe exit routes as the RSF reportedly builds berms to block movement and supplies. Mines and unexploded ordnance litter key roads, further restricting access.

Humanitarian convoys, including food and medicine, have been stalled for months. Aid workers have also been targeted by fighters, with at least 120 killed since the war erupted in April 2023.

“Stop the violence, stop the war, let us through,” Ms. Brown said, stressing that aid workers are ready to assist but cannot move without security guarantees.

© UNICEF/Mohammed Jamal

Families that fled the fighting in Zamzam and El Fasher in North Darfur, seek refuge in Tawila.

Hunger, disease and rape

Malnutrition, cholera and dengue fever are spreading rapidly in overcrowded displacement sites.

“Supplies are limited on the market. Access to clean water is limited. Sanitation is incredibly poor,” she warned, adding that families face a “combustible situation” of disease and hunger.

She also pointed to widespread conflict-related sexual violence: “This includes rape, gang rape, sexual slavery and sexual violence amounting to torture. This is a major protection issue, and we have no indication of any slowing down.”

Shrinking resources

The crisis is worsened by severe funding shortfalls. With only three months remaining in 2025, Sudan’s $4.2 billion humanitarian plan is just 25 per cent funded.

“Every meeting I’ve gone to since I’ve been in Sudan has been about huge, acute need and the limited response, because we just don’t have the resources to do more,” Ms. Brown said.

Local and international NGOs warn that global inaction is worsening the crisis.

In a joint appeal this week, civil society groups called for urgent humanitarian access and the creation of evacuation corridors for civilians trapped in El Fasher, stressing that decisive action can still prevent thousands more from being massacred.