At the opening of the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha on Tuesday, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani used part of his address to highlight what he described as the global community’s “collective shock” at the violence unfolding in Sudan. He condemned the atrocities reported in al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur, which the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized from the Sudanese army just over a week earlier following an 18-month blockade that had already strangled access to food and essential supplies.
Accounts emerging from the city paint a grim picture. Witnesses and humanitarian groups have described summary executions, mass killings, sexual violence, assaults on aid workers, widespread looting, abductions, and forced displacement attributed to RSF fighters. Although the RSF denies committing any abuses, evidence circulating online — including testimonies from residents and satellite imagery — sharply contradicts that claim and suggests a catastrophic assault on the population.
In a troubling milestone, a UN-supported global hunger monitoring body on Tuesday verified that famine conditions now exist in both al-Fashir and the southern city of Kadugli, marking the first official confirmation of famine during this phase of the conflict.
The Emir urged an end to the conflict, emphasizing that Sudan has endured “two and a half years of horror” and reiterating the need for a political settlement that preserves the country’s unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. Despite such appeals, civilians continue to flee al-Fashir for overcrowded displacement camps where resources are already stretched to breaking point.
Meanwhile, clashes between the RSF and the Sudanese army have escalated elsewhere, including in the Kordofan region, reflecting a broader deterioration of security nationwide. UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the conflict is “spiralling out of control” and reiterated calls for an immediate ceasefire.
Since the civil war erupted in April 2023, Sudan has faced a profound humanitarian catastrophe: tens of thousands killed, millions displaced, and a civilian population bearing the brunt of a conflict that shows little sign of abating.
