UN secures aid access deal with RSF amid worsening crisis in Sudan
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The UN has reached an agreement with the Rapid Support Forces for unhindered humanitarian access in Darfur and El Fasher, as Sudan faces mass displacement, starvation, and reports of extrajudicial killings.
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Sudanese women displaced from El-Fasher cook meals at a community kitchen inside the newly established El-Afadh camp in Al Dabbah, in Sudan's Northern State, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. (AP)
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) has reached an agreement with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to allow full humanitarian access and safe passage for aid operations in western Sudan, including Darfur, as the country faces the world’s largest displacement crisis and escalating civilian suffering.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, confirmed that the UN had secured commitments from the RSF to permit complete and unhindered humanitarian access across the areas under their control.
"I had a call with [RSF leader Mohammad Hamdan Daglo Mousa, known as] Hemedti a couple of weeks ago as part of the preparations for this surge of aid that we want to see, and the surge of engagement," Fletcher said. He added that local RSF representatives on the ground were made aware of the UN's expectations for neutrality and independent access.
Fletcher emphasized that UN operations in Sudan are carried out without military escorts and remain in line with international humanitarian principles.
El Fasher access pending
One of the key focus areas is the RSF-controlled city of El Fasher, where the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has reported ongoing extrajudicial killings. Fletcher said he hopes the UN will gain access to the city within days or weeks, though no firm timeline was given.
"When we get into El Fasher... we want to test our conditions and make sure we're confident that they will be met. But my hope is that this is the work of days and maybe weeks, and not of months," he stated.
On October 27, OHCHR raised the alarm over reports of atrocities committed by the RSF after the group took control of large parts of El Fasher and the nearby town of Bara. The agency estimates that nearly 2,000 civilians have been killed in North Darfur so far this year.
Darfur faces starvation, mass displacement
The humanitarian situation across Sudan continues to deteriorate. According to the World Health Organization, more than 3.7 million people are facing starvation. Ongoing fighting between the RSF and Sudan’s regular army, which erupted in April 2023, has led to widespread displacement and devastation, particularly in western and southern regions.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that more than 11.3 million people have been displaced since the conflict began, making Sudan the site of the world’s largest displacement crisis.
Despite the scale of the crisis, humanitarian access has been severely restricted due to insecurity, territorial fragmentation, and lack of cooperation from armed actors. The latest agreement between the UN and the RSF marks a significant step, though its implementation on the ground remains to be seen.
Read more: Eyewitnesses recount RSF massacres in El Fasher after its fall
