UN Team Visits El-Fasher for First Time Since Local Regime's Fall, Exposing Severe Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan
El-Fasher, Sudan — A United Nations delegation conducted its first visit to El-Fasher, North Darfur, on December 31, 2025, since the collapse of the local regime, uncovering dire humanitarian conditions amid Sudan's escalating civil unrest. The high-severity crisis highlights ongoing violence, displacement, and access restrictions plaguing the region.
The visit comes at a critical juncture in Sudan's protracted conflict, which has displaced over 10 million people internally — the world's largest internal displacement crisis — according to a recent Protection Cluster analysis. El-Fasher, a strategic city in North Darfur, has been a focal point of clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with the fall of its local regime marking a significant shift in control dynamics.
During the UN assessment, teams documented alarming humanitarian indicators, including widespread vulnerability among civilians trapped in frontline areas. The Protection Analysis Update from the Protection Cluster, released on January 6, 2026, via ReliefWeb, underscores the systematic harm inflicted on non-combatants through indiscriminate attacks, siege tactics, and severe restrictions on humanitarian access. "Civilians face systematic harm, including indiscriminate attacks, siege tactics, and severe restrictions on humanitarian access," the report states, emphasizing the plight of vulnerable groups such as women, children, and older persons.
The report urgently calls for action to halt attacks on civilians, ease access constraints, and protect populations in besieged zones. Sudan's civil unrest, rooted in power struggles following the 2023 ouster of former President Omar al-Bashir, intensified into open war in April 2023 between the SAF, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF under General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti). Darfur, with its history of genocide and ethnic violence in the early 2000s, has seen some of the worst atrocities, including mass killings, sexual violence, and famine-like conditions.
El-Fasher's recent developments exacerbate these trends. As the last major SAF-held city in North Darfur, its encirclement by RSF forces had raised fears of a humanitarian catastrophe similar to those in other captured cities like Nyala and Zalingei. The regime's fall, reportedly in late December 2025, allowed the UN's unprecedented access, revealing shortages of food, medical supplies, and shelter. Thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) have converged on the city, straining already limited resources amid ongoing skirmishes.
Broader context from the Protection Cluster report paints a grim national picture. Sudan now grapples with over 10 million IDPs, alongside 2.5 million refugees in neighboring countries like Chad, Egypt, and South Sudan. Humanitarian agencies report that 25 million people — half the population — require aid, with frontlines blocking aid convoys and markets collapsing under siege conditions. In Darfur alone, ethnic-targeted violence has displaced hundreds of thousands since the war's onset, with RSF advances prompting mass flight.
International responses have been hampered by insecurity and bureaucratic hurdles. The UN and partners have scaled up operations where possible, but the Protection Analysis stresses the need for safe corridors and de-escalation. Recent peace talks in Jeddah and Geneva have stalled, with both sides accusing each other of war crimes. The International Criminal Court (ICC) continues investigations into atrocities, building on its Darfur warrants.
UN officials, speaking after the El-Fasher visit, described conditions as "catastrophic," aligning with the Protection Cluster's findings. The mission aimed to evaluate needs for potential aid surges, though access remains precarious. "Please refer to the attached file," the ReliefWeb report notes, directing to detailed data on protection risks, including gender-based violence and child recruitment.
Background on Sudan's Civil Unrest
Sudan's conflict traces back to the 2019 revolution that ended Bashir's 30-year rule, leading to a transitional civilian-military partnership. Tensions boiled over in April 2023 when SAF-RSF rivalry erupted into nationwide fighting. Darfur, scarred by the 2003-2005 Janjaweed-led genocide that killed 300,000 and displaced millions, has relapsed into inter-communal strife. El-Fasher's vulnerability stems from its position on the Chad border, vital for aid routes and as a SAF bastion.
Verified UN data confirms Sudan's IDP numbers surpass those in Syria or Ukraine combined. Famine has been declared in parts of North Darfur, with cholera outbreaks and malnutrition rates soaring. Regional spillover affects the Sahel and Horn of Africa, prompting interventions from the African Union and IGAD.
Outlook
The UN visit signals a push for renewed diplomatic pressure, but sustained access hinges on ceasefires. With fighting unabated, the Protection Cluster warns of further escalation unless attacks cease and aid flows unimpeded. Sudan's humanitarian emergency demands global attention, as winter conditions worsen displacement risks. International donors have pledged billions, yet delivery lags amid the chaos. As El-Fasher's fate hangs in balance, the world watches whether this assessment catalyzes relief or foreshadows deeper tragedy.
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