Escalating Death and Destruction of Civilians Under Siege in Sudan

This week marked a very dark chapter yet again in Sudan’s genocide. Civilian death and destruction multiplied, as the attacks have not spared even mosques and hospitals, while the city of El Fasher remained under siege for more than a year. Civilians have little to no option but to die by starvation, drones, or shelling. In El Fasher, an RSF drone struck a mosque during dawn prayers and killed at least 75 worshippers, including children and community leaders, in one of the deadliest single attacks on civilians since the conflict began. At the same time, the siege of El Fasher has tightened, leaving more than 260,000 civilians trapped without food or medicine. RSF is using starvation as another tactic of killing. Fighting has intensified across North, South, and West Kordofan, further spreading death and displacement. The UN Human Rights Office reported 3,384 civilian deaths in just the first half of 2025, underscoring the staggering toll of indiscriminate attacks. Meanwhile, public health emergencies are compounding the crisis: a cholera vaccination campaign was launched in South Darfur, while families in Khartoum face skyrocketing costs for dengue fever treatment. All together, these events are evidence of the purposeful withholding of basic survival mechanisms and prompting the urgency for decisive international action.

The Massacre in El Fasher Mosque and the Imposed Famine killed more People In Darfur

The systemic and ongoing genocidal attack in Sudan is plunging civilians into unprecedented levels of suffering. This week, the atrocities reached a horrific milestone when an RSF drone struck a mosque in the Daraga neighborhood of El Fasher during dawn prayers on September 19th. The attack killed at least 75 worshippers, including 11 children, and left dozens more injured. Among the victims were respected community leaders and displaced civilians who had sought refuge in the city. Mosques, like schools and hospitals, are supposed to be sacred places; sadly, they are now biome primary targets, a clear indication that no place in Sudan is safe for civilians. This is particularly visible in Darfur, where RSF is racing for control to divide the country. This massacre is not an isolated tragedy but part of a systematic campaign of violent killing, starvation, terror, and forced displacement that has defined the genocide in Darfur for more than two decades.

Siege and Starvation in El Fasher

The massacre comes as El Fasher remains under siege by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). For more than a year, over 260,000 civilians have been trapped in the city with no safe routes of escape. Residents face relentless bombardment, shortages of food and medicine, and forced burials without dignity due to shortages of burial sites. Reports indicate hundreds of new graves around Abu Shouk camp, and civilians describe surviving on leaves and animal feed. The siege is a deliberate weapon of war, violating international humanitarian law and placing tens of thousands at risk of famine.

This suffering is part of a broader pattern of escalating violence across Sudan. According to the UN Human Rights Office, at least 3,384 civilians were killed between January and June 2025, the majority in Darfur, as a result of indiscriminate bombardments, drone strikes, and attacks in densely populated civilian areas, including ethnically targeted attacks on civilians. The report warns that the real toll is likely far higher, given the lack of access to many besieged areas.

Escalation and Spread of Violence in Surrounding Regions

Violence continues to spread beyond Darfur into North, South, and West Kordofan, where fighting on multiple fronts has claimed hundreds of civilian lives. Hospitals such as Al-Mujlad in West Kordofan have been shelled, killing medical staff and patients, while Red Crescent volunteers have been injured in indiscriminate shelling. As SAF takes more territory around Khartoum, RSF has concentrated its forces in Darfur and Kordofan, further intensifying attacks on civilians. This spread underscores that the conflict is national in scope, with Darfur and Kordofan at its epicenter.

Public Health Emergencies Increased Civilian Casualties

The UN Human Rights Office this week reported that 3,384 civilians were killed in Sudan between January and June 2025, the majority in Darfur, and warned of catastrophic conditions in besieged cities. Meanwhile, preventable disease outbreaks continue to worsen the crisis. A cholera vaccination campaign has begun in South Darfur to stem the spread of infections. Many areas remained inaccessible, while a severe dengue fever outbreak in Khartoum is leaving families unable to cope. According to Dabanga Sudan, the cost of treatment for dengue has risen sharply, placing hospital admission fees and medication far beyond the reach of ordinary households already devastated by war. For many facing health crises, the choice is now between seeking life-saving care or affording basic survival needs. Public health emergencies layered atop war crimes reflect the deliberate dismantling of service infrastructure, effectively eliminating civilian survival means. Today, the war and competition over territorial control in Darfur and Kordofan have led to large-scale killing and displacement

International Reactions and the Failure to Act on Sudan

While the UN and humanitarian groups condemned the mosque massacre, words without enforcement leave civilians unprotected. After two years, there is no serious negotiation initiative, ceasefire agreement, or humanitarian intervention. And because of the inaction by the international community in Sudan, the warring parties have been emboldened, continuing to mobilize military support and intensifying attacks, mostly on civilians. The international community has utterly failed to protect civilians or hold perpetrators accountable for crimes committed in the past and presently in Sudan. Previous failures, including the premature withdrawal of UNAMID and UNITAMS’s lack of a civilian protection mandate, have emboldened perpetrators, leading them to believe they can get away with impunity. Therefore, we must remind the international community and hold our leaders to the highest standard of their obligation to the international laws. In the face of horrifying atrocities, genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, we must not let our leaders look the other way.

The suffering of Sudan’s civilians has been allowed to go on for years due to the international community’s inaction. Today, mosques are bombed, hospitals are destroyed, famine is spreading, and epidemics are taking hold. Without urgent intervention, the atrocities in El Fasher and across Darfur and Kordofan will claim thousands more lives.

DWAG Calls to Action

The crisis in Sudan today is a crisis of a global magnitude that requires global action. Therefore, we call on the international community to take the following steps to end the suffering, protect civilians, and hold perpetrators accountable:

The UN Security Council and African Union must classify the mosque attack as a war crime and urgently pursue accountability through the ICC and other mechanisms.
Deploy international protection forces where feasible under Chapter VII mandates to safeguard civilians, displacement camps, and religious and medical sites.
Demand that RSF immediately withdraw from civilian areas, allow safe passage for civilians, and unconditional aid deliveries into El Fasher, Kadugli, Dilling, and El-Obeid.
Impose sanctions and an arms embargo to halt the supply of drones and other weapons enabling RSF atrocities.
Secure funding for cholera vaccination, dengue response, and emergency health care in besieged areas, while protecting medical staff from attack.
Extend and reinforce independent UN mechanisms, including the Fact-Finding Mission, to preserve evidence and ensure that violations of rights are recorded and survivors are given a voice.

Under international law, when civilians are under attack where serious international crimes are committed, the international community has an obligation to protect the vulnerable and deliver lifesaving aid assistance to all in need

The international community must act decisively to protect civilians, hold perpetrators accountable, and end impunity.

We urge our supporters to speak up and urge their leaders to take immediate action.

With Gratitude,
Niemat Ahmadi
President, Darfur Women Action Group