13-05-2025
International Refugee Organization Expresses Grave Concern Over Civilians in North Darfur
The International Refugee Organization has voiced its profound concern regarding the attacks on civilians and the mass displacement occurring in North Darfur State, within the Darfur region of western Sudan.
Change – Agencies
Partners of the International Refugee Organization on the Chadian-Sudanese border report that thousands of civilians are fleeing the violence perpetrated by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), arriving in dire conditions that threaten their lives.
Humanitarian organizations, already strained by two years of civil war, lack the necessary resources to mount an adequate response.
According to a statement attributed to Daniel P. Sullivan, the International Refugee Organization's Africa, Asia, and Middle East Director, published on the organization's official platform, a humanitarian worker on the Sudanese-Chadian border described the crisis as 'among the worst I have witnessed in my career,' emphasizing that the RSF must cease their attacks, and the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump and regional partners must take urgent action to avert the worst.
Over the recent period, the RSF has launched attacks on El Fasher – the last area controlled by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and their allies in Darfur – and surrounding areas, including the Abu Shouk and Zamzam camps for displaced persons. Hundreds of civilians have been killed, and hundreds of thousands displaced amid reports of widespread ethnically motivated attacks, including sexual violence.
Thousands are reaching Sudan's border with Chad, many having traveled for 15 to 20 days after repeated displacements, with numerous individuals perishing en route due to thirst or being killed by armed groups after becoming separated from larger groups.
United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations are reportedly facing a severe shortage of essential supplies, including food, water, medicine, and plastic sheeting needed for assistance.
The Trump administration's freezing of aid has already had a devastating impact on Sudanese refugees in Chad, who are currently struggling to access basic food, water, and healthcare. With a new wave of refugees fleeing the fighting, the International Refugee Organization believes that Chad must open its borders, and the Trump administration must immediately reverse course and work, alongside other donors, to increase humanitarian aid to Chad and within Darfur to save lives.
The latest fighting unfolds against a backdrop of atrocities in other parts of Sudan, including extrajudicial killings by both the RSF and the SAF in Khartoum, and the killing of civilians by the RSF in West Kordofan.
The international organization stressed the urgent need for diplomatic leadership from the United States and regional partners to pressure the RSF and the SAF to halt their attacks on civilian areas and allow humanitarian access. External actors, particularly the United Arab Emirates, which supports the RSF with weapons and diplomatic backing, must use their material influence to stop these atrocities.
