11 civil society organizations call for end to crisis in western Sudan

Eleven humanitarian and civil society organizations—including Inter Pares—released a statement today expressing grave concern over the escalating siege and humanitarian collapse in western Sudan, particularly Darfur and Kordofan.

Since early 2025, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and allied actors have created a humanitarian catastrophe of unprecedented scale in the region. The RSF has intensified their military campaign, while SAF has imposed severe restrictions on humanitarian access. Hundreds of thousands of civilians are experiencing famine conditions, caused by warring parties. 

The statement calls for an end to the targeting of civilians, for guaranteed humanitarian access and protections, for support for displaced people, and for restoration of medical infrastructure. It also calls for investigations into violations of international law and accountability for the perpetrators.  The signed organizations also insist the international community must not remain silent as famine is weaponized and civil society is crushed.

The deliberate use of starvation as a weapon of war, the targeting of civilians and humanitarian convoys, the ethnically-motivated executions, the dismantling of local emergency response networks, and the expulsion of aid workers are not only morally reprehensible—they are prosecutable crimes under international law. They demand urgent international action. 

The statement was coordinated by the Canadian Civil Society Working Group on Sudan, of which Inter Pares is co-chair.  Inter Pares stands in solidarity with the communities under siege and reaffirms our commitment to humanitarian principles, justice, and the protection of life.

Find the full statement, below. 

Joint NGO Statement on the Humanitarian Crisis in Besieged Areas in Western Sudan

We, the undersigned humanitarian and civil society organizations, express grave concern over the escalating siege and humanitarian collapse in western Sudan, particularly in the Darfur and Kordofan regions, including the cities of El Fasher, Al-Obeid, Kadugli, and Dilling. The deliberate obstruction of aid, targeting of civilians, and systematic dismantling of local response networks constitute clear violations of international humanitarian law and demand urgent international action.

Since early 2025, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have intensified their military campaign across Darfur and Kordofan, laying siege to key urban centers and forcibly displacing tens of thousands. In response, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and allied actors have imposed severe restrictions on humanitarian access, expelled aid organizations from critical areas, and escalated repression against civil society groups and local responders. Humanitarian access in South Kordofan was severely restricted after Sudan’s Humanitarian Aid Commission suspended 30 national and 3 international NGOs last April. These actions have created a humanitarian catastrophe of unprecedented scale.

In El Fasher (North Darfur state), over 300,000 civilians are trapped without access to food, water, or medical care. Markets have collapsed, and community kitchens have ceased operations due to lack of supplies. Children are dying of hunger. In displacement camps such as Zamzam, dozens have perished from malnutrition in a matter of days. According to the World Food Programme, trade routes into El Fasher are blocked, prices have surged by over 400%, and some residents are surviving on animal fodder and food waste.

In Kadugli and Dilling (South Kordofan state), active hostilities have rendered road access impossible, leaving entire communities isolated and starving. RSF incursions and SAF-imposed closures have cut off vital lifelines, leaving civilians to survive on leaves, roots, and worms. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that key roads between have been disrupted. Local authorities in Kadugli arrested 8 women for protesting against SAF control of food supplies and markets. Local responders and merchants were detained as they tried to break the control of local authorities over access to food supplies in South Kordofan.

The parties to the conflict have continued to breach international humanitarian law, with ongoing drone usage and shelling of civilian areas. On August 3, 2025, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), an armed group in South Kordofan allied with the RSF, targeted Kadugli with artillery fire, resulting in numerous civilian casualties. The Kordofan and Darfur regions are experiencing political tension following the formation of the RSF-SPLM-N alliance in February and the creation of a parallel RSF-led “Sudan Foundation Alliance (TASIS),” government in July, based in Nyala, South Darfur.

The use of starvation as a weapon of war, the targeting of humanitarian convoys, and the expulsion of aid workers are not only morally reprehensible—they are prosecutable crimes under international law. On 20 August, a UN convoy of 16 trucks carrying essential food supplies was bombed in Mellit, North Darfur. This follows a previous attack on a humanitarian convoy in Al Koma on 2 June.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has documented repeated attacks on civilians in El Fasher and Abu Shouk camp, including summary executions and ethnically motivated killings. Between January and August, RSF assaults killed at least 212 civilians in Abu Shouk alone. And in April 2025, the RSF attacked Zamzam refugee camp, killing thousands.

The people of western Sudan are not collateral damage. They are civilians entitled to protection, dignity, and life. The international community must not remain silent as famine is weaponized and civil society is crushed. We stand in solidarity with the communities under siege and reaffirm our commitment to humanitarian principles, justice, and the protection of life.

We the undersigned organizations call for:

• Cessation of all hostilities targeting civilians: All armed actors—SPLM-N, RSF, and SAF—must immediately halt attacks on residential areas, displacement sites, and medical facilities in Kordofan and Darfur regions.
• Ensuring humanitarian access and protection: Warring parties must guarantee safe, unimpeded access for humanitarian organizations and protect aid workers and medical personnel from intimidation, abduction, and violence.
• Investigating and prosecuting violations: Independent international investigations must be launched into the shelling of Kadugli, and SAF aerial bombardments. Perpetrators must be held accountable under international law.
• Restoring medical infrastructure and personnel: Immediate efforts are needed to rehabilitate damaged hospitals and clinics.
• Supporting displaced communities: Donor governments and humanitarian agencies must scale up emergency relief for displaced populations in Kordofan and Darfur, and protect civilian access to life saving services.
• Enforcing international legal frameworks: The UN Security Council must apply pressure through Resolution 2736 and related instruments to prevent further violations and uphold the protection of civilians in El Fasher.

Signed: 

1. Amnesty International Canadian Section (English Speaking)
2. Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID)
3. Civilian Peace Service Canada
4. Canadian Foodgrains Bank
5. Centro de Promocion y Defensa de los Derechos Sexuales y Reproductivos
6. Inter Pares
7. International Service for Human Rights
8. Sudanese Women Rights Action
9. Syrian Female Journalists Network
10. The Regional Coalition for Women Human Rights Defenders in South West Asia and North Africa (WHRDMENA)
11. Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition (WHRDIC)

Individuals:

1. Beth Woroniuk
2. Evelyn Voigt
3. Katrina Leclerc, Saint Paul University
4. Maryam Al-Khawaja
5. Mohamed ElGohary
6. Oliur Sun, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh

Sources:

• UN News report on El Fasher siege and famine - August 2025
• OCHA Humanitarian Access Snapshot – April 2025
• OHCHR briefing on killings in El Fasher and Abu Shouk - August 2025
• The Guardian investigation into Zamzam camp attacks - August 2025