Fletcher: The Situation in El-Fashir Is “Terrifying” … and Statements Do Not Protect Civilians

United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher said that the city of El-Fashir is experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises in Sudan after remaining under siege for more than 560 days, while the number of people fleeing to increasingly crowded and vulnerable areas continues to rise.

In an interview with Sudan Tribune during his visit to the Tawila area — which has received thousands of displaced persons (IDPs) from El-Fashir — Fletcher said that satellite images and testimonies from those fleeing reveal “horrific accounts,” including rape, torture, and extortion in the vicinity of the city.

He confirmed that the situation is “terrifying,” stressing that the scale of the crisis exceeds the capacity of humanitarian workers to respond.

The UN official noted that the region has witnessed a heavy influx of new arrivals in recent weeks, exhausting both local communities and aid organizations. He said that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is deploying additional staff to Darfur, pointing to the release of USD 20 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund, along with extra funding from the Sudan Humanitarian Fund to support local actors.

However, Fletcher emphasized that “what we have is not enough,” adding that civilians “are not protected by statements.” He called for the protection of civilians, accountability for perpetrators of violations, unhindered humanitarian access, and increased international funding so that the world can “meet the magnitude of the moment.”