Since the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) took control of el-Fasher on Oct. 26, tens of thousands of residents have fled toward Tawila and other makeshift safe points, aid groups say. Many arrive in a barren area about 70 kilometers (43 miles) from the city where tents are scarce and improvised shelters abound, and medical teams report large numbers of injured and malnourished people. International agencies estimate massive displacement from the city and surrounding areas, while U.N. human rights officials warn that people remain trapped and at risk inside el-Fasher. The displaced, local hospitals and relief organisations describe urgent shortages of food, shelter, medicine and psychosocial support.
Key Takeaways
- More than 16,200 people have arrived at camps in Tawila after fleeing el-Fasher since Oct. 26, according to aid group Sudan’s IDPs and Refugee Camps.
- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimated roughly 82,000 people had fled el-Fasher and surrounding areas by Nov. 4, heading to Tawila and other locations.
- Tawila Hospital has received at least 1,500 people from el-Fasher since Oct. 26, many with fractures and trauma, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) cites at least 40,000 deaths across Sudan since fighting began in April 2023 and notes some figures may be substantially higher.
- WHO reported over 450 people killed at the Saudi Hospital in el-Fasher after the RSF took the facility; the RSF denies those killings.
- Humanitarian needs are acute: agencies report severe malnutrition, limited shelter materials and insufficient medical supplies among new arrivals.
- The UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, warned that civilians remain trapped and continue to face summary executions, rape and ethnically motivated violence.
Background
Sudan’s conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces began erupting into open war in April 2023 after long-running tensions over control of the state apparatus and military assets. The fighting has fragmented the country, with Darfur and neighbouring Kordofan provinces becoming major theaters of violence as both sides contest strategic towns. Over the course of the conflict, the WHO and humanitarian agencies have documented widespread civilian casualties, disruptions to health services and repeated waves of displacement.
Darfur has a long history of armed conflict and population displacement dating back to the early 2000s; the current war compounds earlier crises and stretches already-limited humanitarian infrastructure. Tawila and other locations that displaced people are reaching were already hosting populations uprooted by previous rounds of violence, leaving capacity strained. International mediators including a U.S.-led “Quad” proposed a humanitarian truce to allow aid access and safe exits, but implementation depends on conditions each side says the other must meet.
Main Event
On Oct. 26 the RSF seized el-Fasher after what aid workers described as an 18-month siege of the city. Reports from hospitals, displaced residents and satellite imagery depict a rapid and violent advance. MSF and local groups documented large convoys and individuals arriving in Tawila, some walking for days; a video shared by Sudan’s IDPs and Refugee Camps shows makeshift tarpaulin shelters and children amid growing crowds of displaced people.
Medical staff in Tawila said the wounded include people with broken bones and other trauma consistent with urban combat and mass displacement. MSF noted that 300 people arrived in one day last week and described very high rates of malnutrition among both children and adults. Relief workers on the ground say families often have only one or two meals per day, and that food, medicines and shelter materials are insufficient for the scale of arrivals.
Multiple sources, including the WHO, say the Saudi Hospital in el-Fasher was attacked during the takeover and that more than 450 people were killed there; the RSF denies those fatalities at the facility. Testimonies from fleeing civilians, online videos and satellite imagery have been cited by agencies as evidence of severe violence across neighborhoods during and after the seizure.
Fighting has not been confined to el-Fasher. Earlier this week a drone strike in el-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, reportedly killed at least 40 people. A military source told reporters that two Chinese-made drones were intercepted targeting el-Obeid, underscoring how the conflict’s tactics and front lines have broadened. Analysts say these developments mark a strategic expansion by the RSF and raise the risk of renewed violence in central Sudan.
Analysis & Implications
The fall of el-Fasher represents both a tactical gain for the RSF and a deepening humanitarian disaster for civilians in Darfur. Control of major towns provides logistical advantages and the ability to displace populations, which can shift local power dynamics. Analysts warn that RSF advances toward central Sudan could reverse recent stabilisation in areas previously less affected by fighting, complicating any prospects for a durable ceasefire.
Humanitarian operations already face access limitations, funding shortfalls and security risks that impede responses to large displacement flows. Overcrowded camps in Tawila and other transit sites risk disease outbreaks, malnutrition and protection crises if aid deliveries and health services do not scale up rapidly. The reported use of drones and cross-regional attacks also raises the conflict’s technological and geographic scope, increasing civilian exposure to violence beyond localized ground battles.
Politically, the conflicting public commitments to truces — with the RSF saying it accepted a Quad ceasefire proposal and the army attaching conditions — illustrate the fragile bargaining posture of both sides. Any negotiated pause that does not include safe corridors and verifiable protections for civilians is unlikely to stop forced movement or the immediate humanitarian crisis. Donor responses, regional diplomacy and pressure for humanitarian access will determine whether aid can blunt the worst outcomes in the coming weeks.
Comparison & Data
| Metric | Reported figure |
|---|---|
| Arrivals in Tawila from el-Fasher | 16,200+ |
| Estimated people fleeing el-Fasher area (IOM, Nov. 4) | ~82,000 |
| Patients received by Tawila Hospital from el-Fasher | 1,500+ |
| Estimated deaths in Sudan since April 2023 (WHO) | 40,000 (minimum) |
| Reported killed at Saudi Hospital, el-Fasher (WHO) | 450+ |
The numbers above are drawn from aid organisations and U.N. agencies and illustrate both the immediate scale of displacement and the broader mortality attributed to the conflict. On-the-ground registration and access remain limited, which means these figures are likely conservative for some metrics; humanitarian actors stress that real needs probably exceed reported totals.
Reactions & Quotes
U.N. human rights officials and aid organisations issued urgent appeals and warnings as new arrivals reached makeshift camps.
“Today, traumatized civilians are still trapped inside el-Fasher and are being prevented from leaving.”
Volker Türk, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights
Before and after that statement, U.N. officials and agencies described concerns about summary executions, sexual violence and the dangers of leaving besieged areas via exposed corridors.
“MSF teams report extremely high levels of malnutrition among children and adults arriving from el-Fasher.”
Doctors Without Borders (MSF)
MSF and medical staff in Tawila emphasised immediate clinical needs, including trauma care, therapeutic feeding and mental health support for survivors.
“Families are often surviving on just two meals a day — sometimes only one — and shelter is mainly improvised.”
Adam Rojal, aid group Sudan’s IDPs and Refugee Camps (spokesperson)
Rojal and camp-based relief workers described overcrowding and an urgent demand for tents, food and water as arrivals continued.
Unconfirmed
- Exact death tolls in many neighborhoods of el-Fasher remain unverified due to restricted access and the inability of agencies to conduct comprehensive grave-to-grave counts.
- Specific allegations of individual perpetrators and locations of certain alleged sexual assaults are still under investigation and lack independent corroboration in several reported cases.
Bottom Line
The capture of el-Fasher has triggered a large, urgent displacement crisis that is overwhelming nearby camps and health facilities and compounding an already-devastating national emergency. Reported killings at medical facilities and accounts of house-to-house violence indicate severe protection failures and heighten the need for immediate, secure humanitarian corridors and scaled-up relief.
Unless access, security guarantees and funding improve quickly, the situation in Tawila and other reception sites will deteriorate, increasing risks of malnutrition, disease and further civilian casualties. International diplomacy aimed at securing a verifiable truce, combined with rapid humanitarian scale-up, will be essential to limit the crisis’s human cost in the weeks ahead.
Sources
- Associated Press — news report (original coverage)
- World Health Organization (WHO) — U.N. health agency (mortality and health impact)
- International Organization for Migration (IOM) — U.N. migration agency (displacement figures)
- Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) — medical NGO (field reports)
- Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) — U.N. human rights office (statements)