Volunteers in Tawila, western Sudan, are under immense pressure due to the massive influx of refugees following the capture of el-Fasher by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (also known as Hemeti). The humanitarian situation in this already fragile area has become critical. Since April 2023, the country has been embroiled in a war between the regular army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, who have now taken control of the entire Darfur region.
Last Sunday’s attack led to the fall of el-Fasher, the last of the five capitals in Darfur still under army control. Civilians fleeing the city report severe violence, including rape, looting, and murder. Human Rights Watch has warned that without swift intervention by the international community, the situation could spiral into more severe war crimes.
Volunteers in the emergency cells of Tawila, who are already assisting over 650,000 displaced people, are calling for help from the UN and humanitarian organizations. In just two days, thousands of families have flocked to Tawila, often on foot, seeking refuge and basic necessities. Local resources are insufficient to meet their urgent needs.
The UN and Human Rights Watch have warned about the growing risk of atrocities, often driven by ethnic conflicts. The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for a ceasefire after the massacre of over 460 people in a maternity hospital in el-Fasher, highlighting the severity of the situation.
Since the city’s fall, more than 36,000 civilians have fled to Tawila, further exacerbating the strain on already fragile infrastructure. The region, which has already taken in over one million displaced people in the past two months, is battling a cholera outbreak and is severely lacking basic resources to address this unprecedented humanitarian crisis.