Sudan PM to raise El Fasher siege at UN after deadly mosque attack
September 20, 2025 (PORT SUDAN) – Sudan’s Prime Minister Kamil Idris said on Saturday he will raise the issue of the siege of El Fasher in North Darfur at the United Nations General Assembly in the coming days.
Idris will lead Sudan’s delegation to the 80th session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, the government announced. The announcement marks a change of plans, as Sovereign Council head General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan was previously expected to attend.
During his visit, the prime minister is scheduled to deliver Sudan’s main address to the assembly and hold high-level meetings with other heads of state, the U.N. Secretary-General, and leaders of international organizations. The delegation’s agenda also includes participation in several side events, such as ministerial meetings of the Least Developed Countries, the Group of 77 and China, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
Idris’s plan to spotlight the crisis in El Fasher follows a deadly attack on Friday by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which shelled a mosque in the city’s Al-Daraja Al-Ula neighbourhood, killing 75 people.
The city has been under siege by the RSF, with residents facing continuous attacks since April 2024.
The prime minister, who heads a national committee tasked with breaking the siege, said he would appeal directly to the international body.
“I appeal to the General Assembly to work towards lifting the siege on El Fasher,” Idris said at the committee’s first meeting. “The most critical issue I will raise is breaking this siege.”
He said he is also in contact with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres to “mobilize his energy and moral authority” to end the blockade.
The RSF has surrounded El Fasher with thousands of fighters after displacing local populations, blocking access to food, medicine, and humanitarian aid.
Residents report severe shortages, with many forced to eat animal fodder to survive. A lack of proper burial shrouds has also forced families to bury victims of the shelling in plastic bags, witnesses said.
Idris criticized what he called “international silence” on the prolonged siege and urged the U.N. Security Council to fulfil its duties.
“We pledge that we will do everything in our power to break the siege on El Fasher, which will happen soon,” he said, adding, “The city will remain defiant against the invaders.”
The RSF is also accused of destroying water and health infrastructure in the city while committing widespread atrocities, including mass killings, ethnically motivated violence, and sexual assault.