The World Food Programme (WFP) has issued a stark warning over what it describes as terrible atrocities committed against civilians in the Sudanese city of El Fasher, where a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian crisis is putting thousands of lives at risk.
WFP Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau said the violence unfolding in El Fasher should never have been allowed to happen and called for an urgent, coordinated international response to protect civilians and deliver life saving assistance. His remarks followed the recent takeover of the city by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), an event that triggered widespread fear, mass displacement and alarming levels of violence.
During the assault, fighters reportedly stormed the main Saudi Hospital, where hundreds of people were killed. Humanitarian workers and civilians who managed to flee the city recount harrowing scenes of door-to-door killings, sexual violence and widespread destruction, further compounding the trauma of a population already trapped in a brutal conflict.
The wider war between Sudan’s army and the RSF now in its third year has devastated communities across the country. Tens of thousands have been killed and millions have been displaced, forming one of the world’s largest and fastest growing humanitarian emergencies.
As families continue to escape El Fasher with little more than the clothes on their backs, WFP says it is scaling up emergency support for those arriving in displacement sites. Many are severely malnourished, while others are suffering from illnesses linked to the collapse of clean water, sanitation systems and health facilities.
Skau stressed that hunger is not the only threat. With hospitals damaged or overwhelmed and disease risks rising, the agency warns that more people could die from preventable illnesses if aid is not urgently expanded.
WFP is calling for a response that goes beyond food distribution to include medical assistance, water and sanitation services, and strong protection measures for civilians who have endured months of siege and bombardment.
Growing international concern has intensified pressure on global actors to intervene diplomatically and support humanitarian operations before the situation spirals further out of control. Aid officials caution that unless access to besieged areas improves and relief operations are fully funded, Sudan could face an even greater catastrophe in the weeks ahead.