Darfur on brink of humanitarian catastrophe amid deteriorating security, health: IDPs group
June 17, 2025 (EL FASHER) – Sudan’s Darfur region is on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe as security and health conditions sharply deteriorate, an aid group warned on Monday, saying the area was “almost completely torn apart and on the verge of spiralling out of control.”
In a report covering April to mid-June, Adam Regal, the General Coordinator for Displaced Persons and Refugee Camps in Sudan, highlighted a severe decline in humanitarian aid, health services, and security, with ongoing displacement, escalating violence, and the spread of diseases.
Children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers face a constant threat of hunger, famine, malnutrition, and thirst, alongside a scarcity of shelter materials, the Coordination said. With the onset of autumn, it warned that the lack of adequate shelter could lead to a widespread disaster for homeless families across all displacement areas in Sudan and Darfur, particularly in the heavy-rain regions of Jebel Marra and Tawila.
The IDPs coordination called on the United Nations, its agencies, and international organizations to intensify efforts to address the “dire” humanitarian conditions. It noted continued daily displacement from El Fasher to Tawila and Jebel Marra, which have become the largest displacement centres in the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The crisis “overwhelms the capacity” of humanitarian agencies, local authorities, and host communities, the report added.
Health conditions are also deteriorating, with cholera reported in several states, alongside widespread malaria and malnutrition among children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers. The Coordination cited undiagnosed infections and diseases as a result of a shortage of medical staff. In areas with high concentrations of displaced persons, poor sanitation is a “source of diseases and epidemics,” posing “grave concern” for residents and threatening widespread health crises.
The report also detailed escalating violence and human rights violations, attributing them to the “tearing apart of the social fabric by the war,” which it said has divided society and entrenched hate speech. The Coordination accused “warring parties” of continuing to commit “atrocities and massacres.”
It said RSF forces bomb Abu Shouk camp daily, resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries, while Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) conduct airstrikes on populated areas across Darfur, “using internationally prohibited heavy weapons.”
The Coordination documented violations on the road between El Fasher and Tawila, including 95 cases of gender-based violence, 15 deaths due to hunger and thirst, 24 cases of psychological trauma, and 17 cases of direct gunfire. It also recorded three individual killings in Kass and four in Bindisi. “The country has plunged into chaos, and the law of the jungle has become the dominant force,” the report stated.
The aid group expressed “grave concern” over all violations, particularly the use of “lethal weapons within large civilian population centres,” which it said endangers lives.
It demanded the formation of an independent international committee to investigate allegations of chemical weapons use in densely populated areas of Darfur. It also called for another committee to investigate the bombing of a humanitarian aid convoy in the Al Kuma area of North Darfur, which was en route to El Fasher.
The Coordination urged international judicial institutions to play a “role in ending impunity and achieving justice for the survivors of crimes and violations committed against unarmed civilians.”