Bawadi for Peace and Development Organization is following with deep concern the escalating humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in the city of El Fasher, North Darfur State, due to ongoing clashes that have persisted for nearly a year and a half. These battles have forcibly displaced no less than two-thirds of the city’s population. Large numbers have fled north to the villages of Mellit locality, south to Dar El Salam locality and its surrounding villages, while the majority have headed west to Tawila locality, the Diba Naira camp, and further on to the Jebel Marra region.
The continued siege imposed on the city has worsened the crisis, particularly affecting the most vulnerable groups, women, children, and the elderly, amid an almost total lack of food and medicine. According to the latest statement by the Emergency Chambers Council in North Darfur, there is a catastrophic shortage of food supplies, reaching 88%, which poses a severe threat to the lives of the remaining civilians inside El Fasher.
In recent days, the UN Secretary-General called for a humanitarian ceasefire in El Fasher. However, we view this move as unserious. Similar efforts have been made since the Jeddah platform at the beginning of the war, yet they have failed to urgently deliver humanitarian aid. Large numbers of displaced people remain on the city’s outskirts, where medicines and food are nonexistent, diseases such as cholera are spreading, especially during the rainy season—and child malnutrition is worsening without any humanitarian support or services. This has forced some civilians to stay in their homes and face their fate.
We at the Bawadi for Peace and Development Organization call on the international community to act seriously to save civilian lives through:
- Pressuring the warring parties to open safe corridors for the evacuation of the remaining besieged civilians.
- Making a serious commitment to providing urgent support and essential humanitarian services to the displaced and refugees outside the conflict zones.
- Delivering humanitarian aid to displaced persons across the various localities of North Darfur, with particular focus on Diba Naira camp in Tawila locality and other camps.
Evacuating civilians now—while providing them with shelter, food, and medicine, is a more practical and serious step than the repeated failed attempts at so-called ceasefires. The world offers many precedents for successful humanitarian evacuations, such as:
- The evacuation of civilians from neighborhoods in Aleppo, Syria in 2016 through efforts by the UN, Red Cross, and Red Crescent,
- The evacuation of displaced persons in Darfur during 2003–2005 organized by the UN and the Sudanese Red Crescent,
- The establishment of humanitarian corridors in Mariupol, Ukraine in 2022 under UN and Red Cross supervision,
- And the evacuation of civilians from Mosul, Iraq in 2017 by the UN and Iraqi Red Crescent.
These examples confirm that international will can save lives when seriousness and coordination are present.
The ongoing silence and international inaction will only lead to further humanitarian disasters, in clear violation of international humanitarian law and human rights principles. Therefore, we reiterate our appeal to the international community, regional organizations, and all relevant actors to urgently take genuine and effective measures to ensure aid reaches those fleeing El Fasher and to seriously work on securing safe passages for those trapped inside the city.
Bawadi for Peace and Development Organization
Date: July 27, 2025
