UN and IOM Urge Ceasefire and Humanitarian Corridor as Tens of Thousands Remain Trapped in el-Fasher

UN, IOM call for urgent access to civilians in el-Fasher

The head of the United Nations migration agency has appealed for an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of a secure humanitarian corridor to reach tens of thousands of civilians still trapped in el-Fasher, the Darfur city captured by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on October 26.

Amy Pope, director-general of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), told Al Jazeera that the priority is gaining safe access to residents who have been largely cut off from humanitarian assistance and essential services.

"When humanitarian actors are themselves at risk – when they’re killed, when they’re shot, when they’re detained – we can’t get people what they need to survive," Pope said. "The primary issue is ensuring that there is a ceasefire, a humanitarian corridor, so that aid groups can bring in that aid to the civilians who are very much caught in the middle."

Human rights organizations have accused the RSF, which has been fighting the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) for control of Sudan since April 2023, of committing widescale massacres during its capture of el-Fasher. While thousands remain trapped inside the city — the capital of North Darfur state — IOM figures show nearly 90,000 people have fled since the takeover.

Pope described harrowing accounts from displaced families who escaped: seeing dead bodies along routes, digging makeshift trenches to avoid gunfire and drones, and survivors reporting "unspeakable, unbearable" sexual trauma and assault. "The stories are really harrowing, and they’re happening now even as we speak," she said.

The IOM warned that humanitarian operations across Sudan are "on the brink of collapse" as insecurity grows and funding dwindles. "Warehouses are nearly empty, aid convoys face significant insecurity, and access restrictions continue to prevent the delivery of sufficient aid," the agency said, noting that violence is spreading to other regions.

Between October 26 and November 9, almost 39,000 people fled intense fighting in North Kordofan, east of el-Fasher, according to the IOM.

Meanwhile, Anna Mutavati, regional director for East and Southern Africa at UN Women, warned that women and girls who fled el-Fasher face grave risks of sexual violence in displacement sites around the city. "Every step they’ve taken — to fetch water, collect firewood, or stand in a food line — carries a high risk of sexual violence," she told reporters in Geneva.

"There is mounting evidence that rape is being deliberately and systematically used as a weapon of war," Mutavati said. "Women’s bodies … have just become a crime scene in Sudan."

The IOM and UN Women are calling for immediate, unfettered access for humanitarian agencies, increased funding, and protective measures for displaced civilians, especially women and girls. Without secure access and resources, humanitarian relief risks collapsing while civilians remain exposed to ongoing violence and abuse.