Sudan seeks justice in face of humanitarian crisis in El Fasher, says envoy
- Sudan's ambassador to Türkiye Nadir Yousif Eltayeb says people in besieged city of El Fasher faced severe food shortages
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- Sudan's ambassador to Türkiye Nadir Yousif Eltayeb says people in besieged city of El Fasher faced severe food shortages
By Gulsum Incekaya, Gokhan Kavak, and Seyit Kurt
ISTANBUL (AA) - Sudan is seeking justice amid the humanitarian crisis caused by the conflict in the country, Sudan's Ambassador to Türkiye Nadir Yousif Eltayeb said Tuesday, highlighting severe food shortages faced by civilians in El Fasher.
Speaking at a Tuesday meeting on Sudan held at the headquarters in the Turkish capital Ankara of the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA), Eltayeb criticized the international community's approach to the conflict in Sudan and said government forces had made intensive efforts to break the siege of El Fasher.
Eltayeb said the city has been under a complete siege for around 30 months.
"About 1 million people were surviving on aid delivered by the armed forces by air. People could not access enough food, to the point that they had to eat tree bark," he said.
He said Sudanese government forces had made more than 200 attempts to break the siege of El Fasher.
"The international community has taken a biased approach to this issue, preventing it from being resolved," he said.
- 'What happened in El Fasher is genocide'
Eltayeb alleged that rebel forces in Sudan are being supported by foreign countries, arguing that they would not have been able to advance without external support.
He also claimed that armed groups in El Fasher have specifically targeted certain tribes.
"What happened in El Fasher is genocide," he said.
Eltayeb said the number of people killed in El Fasher and the wider Darfur region remains unknown.
"Due to pressure from the UAE (United Arab Emirates), Sudan cannot submit reports on the massacre to the UN Security Council. The UAE supports the armed groups, but because this has not been proven, the international community cannot do anything," he claimed.
Abu Dhabi has repeatedly denied the allegations.
Eltayeb also thanked Türkiye for supporting Sudan.
"We are seeking justice for Sudan," he said.
- Dire humanitarian situation following siege of El Fasher
The city of El Fasher, under siege since May 2024, fell under the control of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Oct. 26, 2025, following around 18 months of fighting.
The city, capital of the North Darfur state in western Sudan, had been the last major city in the Darfur region held by the Sudanese army before the RSF seized control.
Throughout the siege, access to food and medical supplies became increasingly difficult, leaving civilians facing severe humanitarian conditions as basic necessities ran out.
According to the UN Human Rights Office, more than 6,000 people were killed in the first three days of attacks after the RSF seized the city.
Following the RSF takeover, allegations emerged of killings, forced displacement, torture, and sexual violence against civilians in the city.
The UN warned that violence against civilians, including women and children, was continuing and that it had received reports of executions and sexual violence.
Around 138,200 people were displaced from El Fasher and surrounding settlements between Oct. 26, 2025 and March 1, 2026.
The city, which had a population of more than 1 million before the war, is now estimated to have fewer than 70,000 residents.
Alongside continuing security problems, access to food and health services remains severely limited.
The flight of large numbers of civilians from the city following the RSF takeover has further deepened the already severe humanitarian crisis in Darfur.
Gülsüm İncekaya,Gökhan Kavak