12 April 2025 

Since April 10, 2025, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their allies in the “Tasis” coalition have escalated brutal attacks on the city of El Fasher and the Zamzam and Abu Shouk IDPs camps in North Darfur, Sudan. These barbaric military operations, targeting civilians and critical infrastructure, are accompanied by an extended humanitarian siege that has persisted for over a year. Recently, all attempts to deliver food, medicine, and aid have collapsed due to the intransigence of the militia and its allies. This use of starvation as a weapon of war is not merely a crime; it is an act of genocide threatening the lives of approximately two million people, while the world watches this tragedy in shameful silence.

The humanitarian situation in El Fasher has reached catastrophic levels due to the absence and scarcity of essential necessities. Documented reports confirm that El Fasher hosts around 1.8 million people, including 800,000 displaced persons living in dire conditions under the weight of the siege and escalating violence in Zamzam camp, where famine was officially declared in August 2024. A child dies every two hours in the camp due to acute malnutrition and related diseases. El Fasher South Hospital, the only operational medical facility, faces imminent collapse and will cease functioning due to the depletion of medical supplies and provisions. The ongoing situation in El Fasher since April of last year reveals a historic catastrophe unfolding before the world’s eyes.

Our demands are urgent and non-negotiable:

1. We call on United Nations organizations, particularly the World Food Programme, to immediately commence large-scale airdrop operations for humanitarian aid to El Fasher and its camps through the UN Humanitarian Air Service, following its previous experiences in the Nuba Mountains, South Kordofan, Darfur, and Sudanese refugee camps in Yida and Maban. Any delay in this measure equates to forsaking millions of lives.
2. We urge the United States and the United Kingdom to exert direct and decisive pressure on countries supporting the RSF, foremost the United Arab Emirates, to ensure the protection of relief aircraft from any threats and to activate Article 18 of Protocol II of the Geneva Conventions, which mandates securing the unimpeded passage of humanitarian aid.
3. We demand that the UN Security Council abandon its disgraceful silence and take immediate action to enforce its previous resolutions, while issuing a new binding resolution with robust enforcement mechanisms to halt military attacks, lift the humanitarian siege, and prevent an imminent genocide. This resolution must include strict accountability for perpetrators of war crimes and deliberate starvation policies.

The continued silence of the international community renders it complicit in this heinous crime. El Fasher is not just a besieged city; it is a test of humanity’s conscience. We demand an immediate and final cessation of aggression, the opening of safe humanitarian corridors, and accountability for all those behind these crimes against humanity. Every moment that passes without action is a betrayal of justice and human values.

Fikra for Studies and Development
April 12, 2025