The United Nations (UN) has issued an urgent call to end the siege on Sudan's El-Fasher, following a devastating attack on a maternity hospital that resulted in the deaths of over 460 individuals. This incident has sparked global concern and raised fears of a return to the ethnic violence witnessed two decades ago. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohammad Hamdan Daglo, have been accused of orchestrating the siege, with Daglo himself vowing to unify the country through 'peace or war'. The capture of El-Fasher, the last stronghold of the army in the western region of Darfur, has led to accusations of mass killings, with the World Health Organization (WHO) condemning the attack on the Saudi Maternity Hospital, the last partially operational facility in the city. The hospital was attacked multiple times in a month, resulting in the death of a nurse and injuries to three other healthcare workers. Two days later, six health workers, including doctors and a pharmacist, were abducted, and over 460 patients and their companions were reportedly shot and killed. The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, expressed grave concern over the military escalation in El-Fasher, urging an immediate end to the siege and hostilities. The conflict between the paramilitaries and the regular army has been raging since April 2023, with international powers struggling to mediate a resolution. The RSF, descended from the Janjaweed militias, has been accused of ethnic genocide against civilians, with graphic videos circulating on social media. The Sudanese government has accused the RSF of targeting civilians and aid workers, with the Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale University providing satellite imagery evidence of mass killings and executions. The siege has led to a massive displacement crisis, with over 33,000 people fleeing El-Fasher to Tawila, which has already accommodated more than 650,000 displaced individuals. The conflict has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, millions of displacements, and triggered the world's largest displacement and hunger crisis. The Quad group, comprising the United States, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, has been engaged in talks to secure a truce, but negotiations have reached an impasse due to continued obstructionism from the army-aligned government. While diplomats advocate for peace, external powers, including Quad members, have been accused of interfering in the conflict, highlighting the complexity and urgency of the situation.
