Khartoum, Sudan, October 27, 2025 — The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is deeply alarmed by the worsening humanitarian situation as thousands continue to flee El Fasher in Darfur, Sudan towards Tawila in search of safety. Thousands of newly displaced people have arrived in Tawila in recent weeks, joining around 400,000 people already displaced and living there, putting immense strain on already limited resources and services.
Despite ongoing efforts by humanitarian actors, basic needs in Tawila are being met at only about 50 percent. Families are living in overcrowded, makeshift shelters with limited access to clean water, food, and healthcare. The mass arrival of displaced people is overwhelming existing systems, leaving thousands without even the most essential support.
Arjan Hehenkamp, IRC Darfur crisis lead, said
“People arriving from El Fasher are coming from what can only be described as a hellscape, a city torn apart by conflict, destruction, and despair. They come with nothing but the clothes on their backs, severely traumatized, looking for safety and support. But Tawila itself is at breaking point. Without a significant scale-up in humanitarian assistance, the suffering here will deepen further.”
The IRC is scaling up its emergency response in Tawila and the surrounding areas through safe water supply, mobile health clinics, cash assistance, and emergency response activities to reach those most in need. The IRC’s teams are providing lifesaving medical care, clean water, emergency cash and essential supplies to newly arrived families, while also working to prevent disease outbreaks amid poor sanitation and overburdened services.
The IRC calls for urgent action from the international community to rapidly increase flexible funding and exert diplomatic pressure on all parties to the conflict, and their sponsors, to protect civilians, ensure safe passage for displaced people, and sustain humanitarian access across North Darfur. All parties to the conflict must ensure protection of civilians, both those remaining in El Fasher and those seeking safe passage out, and ensure the protection of all humanitarian responders. Without immediate support, the needs of over 400,000 displaced people in Tawila will far outstrip the capacity of humanitarian organizations to respond, leaving countless families without water, shelter, or medical care.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
- The conflict in Sudan, especially in El Fasher, North Darfur, has escalated between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.
- Heavy fighting has caused massive civilian casualties and displacement.
- The city now faces a severe humanitarian crisis with shortages of food, water, and medical aid.
- The IRC has been working in Sudan since 2019, providing health, nutrition, protection, and water and sanitation services across multiple states.
- IRC manages five primary healthcare units in Tawila and recently established a mobile health and nutrition team providing services for newly displaced people arriving in Tawila’s reception and transit area. In the last two weeks, IRC also initiated three mobile health teams serving the Um Jalbakh region and is assessing options to expand mobile health services into Korma. Mobile services will be expanded and adapted as needs evolve.
- IRC supports a local partner organization in El Fasher to deliver mobile health and nutrition service. IRC provides emergency water supply in the IDP reception and transit area of Tawila and will continue to scale up this support as the number of new arrivals grows. Across Tawila’s IDP sites, we provide extensive water supply, sanitation, and hygiene services in close coordination with other partners.