UN warns: North Darfur crisis worsening, people suffering deeply.
OCHA urged donors to step up urgently, noting that less than one-third of Sudan’s $4.2 billion aid plan is funded.
The United Nations has described the situation in Sudan’s North Darfur state as “catastrophic,” following the fall of its capital, El Fasher, to armed groups. What was once a bustling regional hub has now turned into a landscape of fear, with thousands of civilians caught in the crossfire or forced to flee their homes. UN humanitarian agencies say the violence shows no signs of easing, and the suffering of ordinary people continues to deepen each day.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), civilians are fleeing in large numbers toward Tawila, a small town roughly 40 kilometers away from El Fasher. But even there, safety and resources are scarce. Humanitarian access to El Fasher itself remains blocked, leaving aid workers unable to deliver life-saving supplies or reach those trapped inside the city. “The situation is catastrophic, and the needs are enormous,” OCHA said, emphasizing that many displaced families are living in makeshift shelters or under trees, without food, medicine, or clean water.
In Tawila, UN agencies and their local partners are struggling to register the steady stream of new arrivals and provide whatever emergency support they can. However, huge gaps persist. There is a desperate shortage of shelter materials, medical supplies, trauma care items, and food assistance. Psychosocial support is also urgently needed for those who have lost loved ones or endured horrific violence. Aid workers say the sheer scale of displacement is overwhelming, and resources are running dangerously low.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that at least 62,000 people were displaced from El Fasher and nearby areas between October 26 and October 29 alone. Many of them fled on foot, carrying only what they could. Yet even the escape routes are not safe. Insecurity along the main roads continues to restrict movement, with reports of armed groups targeting fleeing families.
The crisis is not limited to Darfur. In North Kordofan state, OCHA has warned of an equally alarming situation. IOM figures show that around 36,000 people have been displaced from Bara town, north of the state capital, El Obeid, just this week. Local sources report that civilians on the move are being abducted, extorted, and in some cases, killed.
Faced with this worsening tragedy, OCHA has renewed its call for urgent, flexible funding to sustain relief operations. So far, less than one-third of Sudan’s USD 4.2 billion humanitarian response plan has been financed. Without more support, aid agencies warn that millions of lives will remain at risk in what has already become one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.