By Daniel P. Sullivan | May 3, 2025
Statement from Refugees International Director for Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, Daniel P. Sullivan:
Refugees International is deeply alarmed by the attacks on civilians and mass displacement in Sudan’s North Darfur region. Partners at the Chad-Sudan border report thousands of civilians fleeing violence at the hands of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), arriving in dire and life-threatening conditions. Humanitarian organizations, already strained by two years of civil war, lack the resources to properly respond. One longtime humanitarian at the border has described the crisis as among the worst she has seen in her career. The RSF must stop its assault. The Trump administration and regional partners must take urgent action to stave off the worst.
In recent days, the RSF launched attacks on El Fasher – the last area held by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and its allies in Darfur – and surrounding areas including the Abu Shouk and Zamzam displacement camps. Hundreds of civilians have been killed and hundreds of thousands of people have been newly displaced amid reports of widespread ethnically motivated attacks, including sexual violence. Thousands are now arriving at Sudan’s border with Chad, many having traveled for 15 to 20 days after being displaced multiple times. Many people died along the way, either due to thirst or being killed by militants after being separated from larger groups. But, UN agencies and NGOs face crippling shortages of basic supplies, including food, water, medicine, and tarps to assist.
The Trump administration’s aid freeze has already had a devastating impact on Sudanese refugees in Chad. These refugees now struggle to access food, water, and basic healthcare. As a new wave of refugees flees the fighting, Chad must open its borders and the Trump administration must immediately reverse course and, along with other donors, surge humanitarian assistance to Chad and inside Darfur to save lives.
The latest fighting comes amid atrocities in other areas of the country including extrajudicial killings by both the RSF and SAF in Khartoum and killings of civilians by the RSF in West Kordofan.
Urgent diplomatic leadership is needed from the United States and regional partners to pressure the RSF and SAF to cease their attacks on civilian areas and to allow humanitarian access. External actors-especially the United Arab Emirates, who have been supporting the RSF with weapons and diplomatic support, must also use their materiel leverage to halt these atrocities.
For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Etant Dupain at edupain@refugeesinternational.org.
Featured image: Sudanese refugees newly arriving from Darfur at the Tine border crossing at the Chad-Sudan border, May 2025.