Wednesday, July 1, 2025 – HAN
Source: Sudan Tribune
UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations is urging Sudan’s warring factions to agree to a humanitarian pause in the besieged city of El Fasher, a UN spokesman said on Tuesday, though the effort appears stalled after the army agreed to a truce that its paramilitary foes rejected.
The UN’s top humanitarian official, Tom Fletcher, spoke with senior figures from both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) this week to press for the pause, spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said.
The diplomatic push follows Sudan’s army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, agreeing last week to a one-week truce for El Fasher during a call with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres. However, the RSF did not formally respond, and a senior advisor, Elbasha Tbaeq, rejected the proposal as an attempt to rearm besieged army militias.
“Since April of last year, we and our partners have had limited access to reach civilians in urgent need,” Dujarric told reporters, highlighting the dire humanitarian situation as fighting intensifies.
The conflict has created a massive displacement crisis. Fighting in El Fasher alone has forced more than 400,000 people from their homes since April, while recent insecurity in North and West Kordofan states has displaced another 30,000, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The displacement is straining resources in other regions. In Northern State, the arrival of nearly 8,000 people from North Darfur last month has overwhelmed local capacity, limiting access to shelter, water, and healthcare, the UN said.
Compounding the crisis is the onset of the rainy season, which typically lasts through October. The UN’s humanitarian office (OCHA) warned that potential flooding could block aid delivery and heighten the risk of disease outbreaks. Last year, floods affected nearly half a million people in Sudan.
Aid operations are also constrained by a severe lack of funds, which is “limiting our ability to preposition critical supplies,” Dujarric said.
The UN reiterated its call for all parties to protect civilians and facilitate safe humanitarian access across the country, in line with their obligations under international law.
