The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has sent an assessment mission to El-Fasher city in Sudan’s North Darfur state.
“Following extensive humanitarian negotiations, today a UN assessment mission took place in El-Fasher, North Darfur state,” the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Denise Brown, said in a statement on Friday.
“This marks the first mission by United Nations staff in the city following months of intense fighting, siege, and widespread violations against civilians and humanitarian workers,” the statement added.
After an 18-month siege, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) captured El-Fasher in late October 2025, unleashing a wave of atrocities, including summary executions, sexual violence and mass detention, and raising fears over hundreds of thousands of trapped civilians.
Brown has warned earlier of the UN’s limited capability to respond to the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Sudan, particularly in El-Fasher, amid a severe shortfall in aid supplies and lack of funding. She urged then for securing a safe passage for UN humanitarian teams.
“Humanitarian aid workers have continued to provide protection and life-saving assistance to those people despite the risks. Continued principled action and safe unhindered access remain absolutely essential for the protection of civilians and in respect of international humanitarian law,” Brown said on Friday.
In response, the US Senior Advisor for African Affairs, Massad Boulos, hailed the news as the outcome of US diplomatic efforts.
“This critical access follows months of negotiations via a US-facilitated process and hard work by OCHA and other humanitarian partners on the ground,” he posted on X.
“We look forward to seeing aid convoys regularly reach El-Fasher after the appalling siege. We call for unhindered aid to all areas of Sudan as we build on this progress to secure a nationwide humanitarian truce,” he added.
