The UN Security Council has condemned mass killings and human rights violations by the Rapid Support Forces in El Fasher, Sudan, following the city's seizure after an 18-month siege. Reports detail over 1,500 deaths, including hundreds at a hospital, amid a worsening humanitarian crisis. Diplomats urged an end to external support fueling the conflict.
On October 30, 2025, the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting in New York, called by the UK, to address the Rapid Support Forces' (RSF) seizure of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, on October 26 after an 18-month siege. The council condemned the RSF for summary executions and arbitrary detentions.
According to Al Jazeera, the RSF has killed at least 1,500 people in El Fasher since its fall. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that on October 26, the Saudi Maternity Hospital—the city's only partially functioning facility—was attacked for the fourth time in a month, killing one nurse and injuring three health workers. On October 28, six health workers were abducted, and more than 460 patients and companions were reportedly shot and killed at the hospital.
The UN Human Rights Office documented widespread violations, including mass killings during house-to-house searches and executions of fleeing civilians, with indications of ethnic motivations. 'The situation is simply horrifying,' said Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa. She noted that communications are cut off, making casualty estimates difficult, and no safe passage exists for civilians.
Over 260,000 people remain trapped in El Fasher with limited access to food, water, or medical care, per the WHO. The two-year conflict between the RSF and Sudanese Armed Forces has killed more than 40,000—likely an undercount—and displaced 14.5 million, leaving 25 million in need of aid, according to the Associated Press.
A Yale Humanitarian Research Lab report on October 27 provided satellite evidence of suspected mass killings, showing clusters consistent with human bodies. UN relief chief Tom Fletcher urged studying the imagery: 'Blood on the sand.' He described the crisis as one of apathy, recalling Darfur's horrors 20 years ago but noting a resigned global response.
Diplomats, including Slovenian Ambassador Samuel Žbogar, demanded states uphold the arms embargo and halt support to paramilitaries. Sudanese Ambassador Al-Harith Idriss al-Harith Mohamed blamed UAE aggression via the RSF, a claim denied by UAE Ambassador Mohamed Abushahab as baseless.
South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation condemned attacks on civilians and infrastructure on October 30, calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians, and unhindered humanitarian access. It urged external actors to adhere to international law and cease support to belligerents, while welcoming an African Union emergency meeting.