Tens of Thousands Flee to Overcrowded Camps After RSF Seizes El‑Fasher

Tens of thousands displaced as paramilitary captures el‑Fasher

Tens of thousands of people from el‑Fasher and surrounding areas have fled to overstretched camps after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized the city in western Darfur on Oct. 26, aid groups say. Many of those who reached temporary shelter in Tawila—about 70 kilometers (43 miles) away—arrived to a barren site with too few tents, inadequate food and little medical support.

Videos shared by the local group Sudan’s IDPs and Refugee Camps show improvised shelters made from patched tarps and sheets, children running across the site and a few adults carrying a single large pot of food, hoping it will feed growing numbers of displaced families.

Scale of displacement and casualties

Local aid workers say more than 16,200 people have arrived in Tawila since Oct. 26, according to Adam Rojal, spokesperson for a local aid group. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimated that roughly 82,000 people had fled el‑Fasher and nearby districts by Nov. 4, moving toward perceived safe areas including Tawila—many traveling on foot. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports at least 40,000 deaths across Sudan since the conflict began in April 2023, while acknowledging the toll may be substantially higher. About 12 million people have been displaced nationwide and nearly half the population faces acute food insecurity.

Reports of atrocities and contested accounts

Aid organizations and fleeing residents say the RSF rampaged through the Saudi Hospital in el‑Fasher and that hundreds were killed during the attack; the WHO cited more than 450 deaths at the facility. Survivors’ testimonies, online videos and satellite imagery depict extensive destruction and grave violence, including alleged house‑to‑house killings and sexual assaults. The RSF has denied responsibility for killings at the hospital; investigations and independent verification remain ongoing.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported that 300 people arrived in Tawila on a single day after fleeing el‑Fasher and that teams are witnessing "extremely high levels of malnutrition among children and adults." Aid workers say displaced families urgently need food, medical supplies, shelter materials and psychosocial support; many are surviving on just one or two meals per day.

U.N. Human Rights Chief Volker Türk: "Today, traumatized civilians are still trapped inside el‑Fasher and are being prevented from leaving. I fear that the abominable atrocities such as summary executions, rape and ethnically motivated violence are continuing within the city. And for those who manage to flee, the violence does not end, as the exit routes themselves have been the scenes of unimaginable cruelty."

Fighting spreads despite truce talks

On Thursday the RSF said it had agreed to a humanitarian truce proposed by a U.S.‑led mediator group called the Quad. The Sudanese army said it welcomes the proposal but conditioned acceptance on RSF withdrawal from civilian areas and the surrender of heavy weapons. Meanwhile, fighting has spread across Darfur and into neighboring Kordofan.

Earlier this week, a drone strike in el‑Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, killed at least 40 people and wounded dozens more. A military official told the AP that the army intercepted two Chinese‑made drones that targeted el‑Obeid on Saturday morning; the official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

Analysts warn that the fall of el‑Fasher and escalating violence in North Kordofan represent a strategic advance for the RSF that could deepen the humanitarian crisis and enable further incursions toward central Sudan.

Humanitarian needs: Aid agencies say immediate priorities include food, water, shelter, medical care and protection services. Without sustained access and scaling of relief, malnutrition and disease are likely to rise among the displaced population.