Sudan approves UN logistics bases near besieged El Fasher to facilitate aid
April 21, 2025 (PORT SUDAN) – Sudan’s government on Monday approved the establishment of UN logistical supply bases in North Darfur’s Mellit and Tawila areas, crucial locations near the besieged state capital, El Fasher.
Mellit is controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), while the Tawila locality is held by a faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) led by Abdul Wahid al-Nur. Tawila has become a key humanitarian centre, hosting hundreds of thousands displaced by escalating fighting in El Fasher.
Sudan’s ruling Sovereign Council, in a statement received by Sudan Tribune, confirmed that the government has approved a UN request for the bases to facilitate humanitarian work in Mellit and Tawila, both located near El Fasher.
The statement added that Sovereign Council Chairman General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan received a phone call from UN Assistant Secretary-General Tom Fletcher. They discussed the humanitarian situation and aid delivery operations to El Fasher.
The RSF has besieged El Fasher for approximately a year, tightening the blockade in recent months and preventing goods and relief supplies from entering, according to aid groups and residents. The paramilitary group has also continued shelling the city’s districts and the Abu Shouk displacement camp using artillery and drones.
North Darfur is the state worst-hit by the current conflict in Sudan’s western Darfur region, where the UN estimates 79% of the population needs aid and protection. The RSF has been accused of attacking formerly safe areas, forcing more civilians to flee.
According to the Sovereign Council statement, the call between Burhan and Fletcher also covered ensuring aid access to El Fasher and overcoming obstacles placed by the “RSF or other groups” that impede humanitarian convoys.
The discussion stressed the need for rapid aid delivery using viable routes into El Fasher, the statement said.
On Sunday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) urged that aid continue flowing via existing channels, calling this crucial for an effective response, preventing further displacement, and easing pressure on host communities.
OCHA confirmed that ongoing restrictions are blocking aid to El Fasher and its surrounding areas, hampering relief efforts. It warned that disruptions to aid and supplies leave displaced people in North Darfur vulnerable to disease outbreaks, malnutrition, and famine.
El Fasher faces severe shortages of goods due to the RSF siege. Access to clean drinking water is also scarce after shelling damaged water stations and the RSF occupied the Golo reservoir, a key water source for the city.