Sudan Erupts Again: El Fasher Turns Into a City of Fire and Fear

El Fasher, North Darfur — October 31, 2025 — The sound of artillery echoes through the ruins of El Fasher, once a vibrant trading hub and the last government stronghold in Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region. After months of siege, the city has descended into chaos as fresh clashes erupt between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), leaving thousands dead and tens of thousands fleeing for their lives.

What was once a bustling city of more than a million residents has now become a nightmarish battlefield — its skyline lit by burning homes, and its streets littered with the remnants of a nation’s collapse.

A City Under Siege

Residents describe El Fasher as a city “suffocating in smoke and fear.” The RSF, which seized control of most of Darfur earlier this year, launched a final assault on government-held neighborhoods last week. Witnesses report tanks rolling through the city center and fighter drones striking key military posts near the university district.

“The ground shook for hours,” said Aisha Mahmoud, a local nurse who has been treating the wounded in makeshift clinics. “People were screaming, children were running in every direction. We have no power, no medicine, and no water left. The city is dying.”

According to the United Nations, at least 1,500 civilians have been killed in the latest wave of violence, though local sources say the real toll could be far higher. Satellite imagery analyzed by humanitarian agencies shows large sections of residential areas reduced to ash.

Hospitals Become War Zones

The Saudi Maternity Hospital, one of El Fasher’s largest medical facilities, was struck during the fighting earlier this week. Health officials confirmed that hundreds of patients, including newborns, were trapped as explosions tore through nearby streets.

Dr. Omar Abdulrahman, one of the few remaining doctors in the city, described the horror:

“We had no electricity. We performed surgeries using phone flashlights. When the fighting got closer, we heard the shells hitting the hospital walls. We begged for an evacuation corridor, but no one came.”

The World Health Organization has condemned the attacks, calling them “an egregious violation of international humanitarian law.” The World Food Programme (WFP), meanwhile, reports that food warehouses in North Darfur have been looted or destroyed — leaving over 300,000 people without reliable access to food or clean water.

Humanitarian Crisis Deepens

For weeks, humanitarian agencies have pleaded for safe passage to deliver aid. But the renewed clashes have made roads impassable. The few convoys that managed to enter El Fasher before the escalation are now stranded inside the city, cut off from communication.

UN officials say Darfur’s humanitarian crisis is now among the worst in the world, with 14 million people displaced nationwide and famine looming. Disease outbreaks, including cholera and measles, are spreading rapidly through overcrowded shelters.

“We are watching a catastrophe unfold in real time,” said Martin Griffiths, the UN’s Humanitarian Chief. “Civilians are trapped between two armies who show no regard for human life.”

Political Stalemate and Global Silence

The conflict began in April 2023, when tensions between Sudan’s army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti) erupted into open warfare. What started as a power struggle for control of the country’s future has devolved into one of the world’s most brutal civil wars.

Despite mounting atrocities, international response remains muted. UN Security Council efforts to pass a binding ceasefire resolution have been repeatedly blocked by geopolitical divisions. Neighboring countries, including Chad and South Sudan, are now overwhelmed by refugees.

African Union mediators have proposed emergency peace talks, but both factions remain defiant. The RSF insists it is “liberating Darfur from military dictatorship,” while the SAF accuses the RSF of “ethnic cleansing and war crimes.”

Voices from the Rubble

Amid the chaos, ordinary Sudanese are left to fend for themselves. In the Al-Jebel neighborhood, Fatima Idris, a 38-year-old mother of three, said she hasn’t eaten in two days.

“We sleep under the open sky because our home burned down. My youngest cries for milk, but there is none. We just pray the bombs stop before dawn.”

Her story mirrors thousands of others — families torn apart, lives uprooted, and futures erased.

In the absence of functioning government, community volunteers have taken on the role of rescuers, digging survivors from rubble and burying the dead. Some residents have started calling them “the angels of El Fasher.”

A Nation in Freefall

Analysts warn that the fall of El Fasher could mark a turning point in the conflict. With Darfur now largely under RSF control, the Sudanese army’s influence continues to shrink. Experts fear the war could fragment the country further, leading to regional breakaways reminiscent of the South Sudan secession in 2011.

Political analyst Hassan El-Tahir noted:

“What’s happening in El Fasher is not just a battle — it’s the disintegration of Sudan as a unified state. If peace doesn’t come soon, there may be no Sudan left to save.”

The World Watches

As fires burn across El Fasher’s skyline, international outrage grows — but action remains elusive. Human rights groups are calling for urgent investigations into alleged war crimes, including mass executions and sexual violence.

Still, for those trapped inside Sudan’s inferno, such calls bring little comfort. In the words of nurse Aisha Mahmoud:

“We don’t need statements. We need help — food, medicine, and peace.”

Until then, El Fasher stands as a grim symbol of a nation consumed by its own war — a city of fire and fear, crying out for the world to finally listen.