A Sudanese envoy criticized the global response to the conflict in his country on Tuesday. Speaking at the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research in Ankara, he accused foreign powers of backing rebel forces and preventing a resolution. He alleged that the violence in El Fasher amounted to genocide.
Eltayeb stated that government forces had mounted more than 200 attempts to break the siege of El Fasher, which had endured for around 30 months. Approximately one million residents survived on air-dropped aid delivered by the armed forces. Food shortages reached a point where people resorted to consuming tree bark.
The envoy claimed that external countries supported the rebel groups, arguing that these fighters could not have advanced without foreign assistance. He also alleged that armed groups in the city specifically targeted certain tribes. He claimed that pressure from the United Arab Emirates prevented Sudan from submitting reports on the massacres to the UN Security Council, alleging that the UAE backed the armed groups.
El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, fell under the control of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on October 26, 2025. The takeover followed fierce fighting and a lengthy blockade that began in May 2024. The city had served as the final major stronghold held by the Sudanese army in the Darfur region.
Conditions deteriorated sharply after the RSF seizure. The UN Human Rights Office reported that more than 6,000 people were killed within the first three days of attacks following the paramilitary takeover. Widespread allegations emerged regarding forced displacement, torture, executions, and sexual violence against civilians.
The UN warned that violence directed at women and children continued unabated. Between October 26, 2025, and March 1, 2026, roughly 138,200 individuals fled El Fasher and surrounding settlements. Before the war, the city’s population exceeded one million, but current estimates place the remaining resident count below 70,000.
Access to health services and food is severely restricted across the area. The mass flight of civilians following the RSF takeover has deepened a severe humanitarian crisis across the wider Darfur region. Eltayeb concluded his remarks by expressing gratitude to Türkiye for its support of Sudan.
