U.N. says 100,000 flee El Fasher since RSF takeover, warns of ‘dire’ crisis

November 20, 2025 (UNITED NATIONS) – The United Nations warned on Thursday that more than 100,000 people have fled Sudan’s North Darfur capital El Fasher since late October, when the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized the city, with many still unaccounted for.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told reporters that civilians arriving at displacement sites face “extremely dire” conditions and “massive” humanitarian needs.

“Those who escaped El Fasher are arriving at displacement sites where conditions are, as you can only imagine, extremely dire,” Dujarric said.

In Tawila, a town sheltering large numbers of the displaced, the U.N. children’s agency UNICEF has provided health and nutrition services to more than 3,500 patients since late October, screened nearly 800 children for malnutrition and supplied 150,000 litres of water daily for 20,000 people, he added.

Violence has also escalated in the neighbouring Kordofan region, where more than 600 people were displaced from two villages on Tuesday alone, according to Dujarric. The International Organization for Migration reports that nearly 40,000 people have been uprooted in North Kordofan between Oct. 26 and Nov. 19.

Key cities in South Kordofan, including the state capital, Kadugli and Dilling, remain under siege, triggering acute shortages of food and medical supplies for residents who remain, Dujarric said.

The U.N. renewed its call for “safe and unimpeded access” to deliver life-saving aid across Darfur, Kordofan and other parts of Sudan, while urging donors to increase funding to meet surging humanitarian needs.