UN Secretary-General Condemns Massacre of Civilians and Aid Workers in North Darfur
Source: United Nations
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United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has issued a firm condemnation of the recent mass killings in Sudan’s North Darfur State, where over 200 civilians—including nine humanitarian workers—were killed in attacks on displacement camps and urban areas, including El Fasher, Zamzam, and Abu Shouk.
The Secretary-General described the attacks as “horrific and unlawful,” citing international humanitarian law protections for civilians, aid workers, and medical personnel. The nine aid workers killed were affiliated with Relief International and were providing emergency medical care at a health center inside the Zamzam displacement camp when they were targeted.
“These assaults are not only an attack on innocent lives, but also a violation of the principles of humanity,” Guterres said. “The perpetrators must be held to account, and the international community must not look away.”
The UN and humanitarian partners report that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group engaged in a civil conflict with the Sudanese Armed Forces, are responsible for the assaults. Air and ground attacks on densely populated areas have left countless dead and displaced more than 2,000 people in just days. The Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps house over 700,000 internally displaced persons, many of whom are now experiencing famine conditions according to the IPC classification.
Since April 2023, more than 90 humanitarian workers have been killed in Sudan, marking one of the most dangerous environments globally for aid operations. Humanitarian access to El Fasher and surrounding areas has been cut off for over a year, leaving communities without basic services.
The Secretary-General called for the immediate restoration of humanitarian access to the affected regions and demanded safe passage for civilians wishing to flee. “We cannot accept a world where those helping the most vulnerable are themselves targets,” Guterres stated.
As the war in Sudan nears its second anniversary, the Secretary-General renewed his call for an immediate ceasefire and urged all parties to commit to an inclusive political dialogue that can lead the country back toward peace.
“The world must come together to stop this senseless conflict and protect the people of Sudan,” he said.
Regional Implications: How the North Darfur Crisis Affects Africa
The violence in Sudan’s North Darfur is not just a national tragedy—it is rapidly becoming a destabilizing force across the African continent.
As fighting intensifies and humanitarian access is cut off, millions of Sudanese civilians are being displaced, pushing across borders into neighboring countries such as Chad, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and Ethiopia. These nations, many of which are grappling with their own economic challenges and internal conflicts, now face a dramatic increase in refugee flows, placing immense pressure on already strained infrastructure, healthcare, and food systems.
According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 1.5 million Sudanese have fled to neighboring countries since the conflict began in April 2023. In Chad alone, over 500,000 new arrivals are overwhelming refugee camps and host communities, exacerbating existing ethnic tensions and creating new humanitarian flashpoints.
The regional economy is also being impacted. Sudan’s geographical location at the crossroads of North and Sub-Saharan Africa has historically made it a critical hub for trade and transport. The ongoing war has disrupted these routes, affecting food supply chains, fuel access, and cross-border commerce in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel. This has contributed to rising food prices and inflation in surrounding nations, many of which are already battling the effects of climate change and conflict.
Additionally, extremist groups in the Sahel and Horn regions may exploit the security vacuum in Sudan to gain ground, raising concerns among African Union (AU) and regional security bodies. The AU has called for renewed international focus on Sudan, warning that further collapse could ignite wider instability in East and Central Africa.
In humanitarian and diplomatic terms, Sudan’s war is testing Africa’s capacity to respond to large-scale crises. The continent is already facing over a dozen ongoing armed conflicts, and the spiraling violence in Darfur adds to the urgency for coordinated African-led peacebuilding initiatives.
“Sudan’s conflict is not isolated. It is rippling outward and threatens to destabilize an entire region already on edge,” said a senior AU official in Addis Ababa. “If Africa does not act quickly, this crisis could become one of the defining catastrophes of our generation.”
