Mon Apr 21 09:02:40 UTC 2025: ## Sudan’s North Darfur Crisis Deepens: Hundreds of Thousands Flee RSF Attacks, Aid Access Severely Restricted

**El-Fasher, Sudan** – The humanitarian crisis in Sudan’s North Darfur region has drastically worsened, with an estimated 450,000 people displaced following attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the United Nations warned on Sunday. Access to el-Fasher, the regional capital, and surrounding areas remains critically restricted, hindering aid delivery efforts.

Recent RSF attacks on refugee camps, including Zamzam and Abu Shouk – previously sheltering up to a million people – have forced a mass exodus. Over the past week alone, up to 400,000 people fled towards Tawila, a journey of 60km across the desert. The UN estimates that at least 300 people have been killed in the attacks.

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, described the situation as “increasingly fluid and unpredictable,” expressing fears of a wider RSF offensive. She highlighted that the displaced population is facing severe shortages of food, water, and sanitation, putting them at extreme risk of disease, malnutrition, and famine. Nkweta-Salami urgently called for immediate and sustained access for UN and NGO aid workers to deliver life-saving assistance.

Reports from aid organizations paint a grim picture. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) described the situation in Tawila as “absolutely catastrophic,” with no access to clean water, sanitation, or sufficient food. MSF has treated over 170 people with gunshot and blast wounds, with women and girls disproportionately affected. Survivors have also reported widespread robbery and rape at the hands of the paramilitaries during their desperate flight.

Tawila, currently under the control of a local armed group unaffiliated with the conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese army, offers a temporary refuge, but its capacity is severely strained. The ongoing conflict, now in its second year, has created what the UN terms the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with over 12 million people displaced and tens of thousands killed. The division of the country, with the army controlling the north and east and the RSF dominating Darfur and parts of the south, further complicates the already dire situation.

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