Umran*, 52, has worked in Sudan for 10 years supporting Save the Children’s programmes in El Fasher and in Zamzam camp, where families have been living in famine conditions since August 2024. When fighting engulfed El Fasher last week, Umran witnessed unimaginable scenes of violence and loss. After the city fell, he walked for two days without stopping - out of fear of an ambush - together with other families and their children who managed to escape. He has now joined a team of Save the Children staff supporting families fleeing El Fasher to Tawila.
In the days before El Fasher fell, the city was vulnerable and exposed to attacks by armed groups. Dead bodies lay on the streets, and there was a severe shortage of food, water, and medicine, which made life in the city very difficult. Many people wanted to flee, but the roads were dangerous. Everyone waited for a chance to escape, hoping things might somehow improve. But that moment never came.
When the fighting finally erupted, it was as if the sky itself was falling. People realised they had to flee— it was chaotic and horrific. Artillery fire, gunshots, and shelling were extremely intense, leaving people terrified.
I saw many people being killed in the streets, including women and children, struck down by random gunfire and stray bullets.
I also saw children running alone, most likely separated from families. In this situation, no one was able to offer support because everyone was running away from the artillery coming from all directions, along with drones attacking from above.
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As humanitarian workers, our instinct is always to protect and to help. But in those moments, no one could offer support to anyone. We were all running for our lives, trying to stay ahead of the shelling and drone strikes. The most I could do was urge families to stay away from dangerous areas, such as open streets during the bombings. There was no other opportunity to do more.
Now that I have left, I think the image of people lying dead on the streets for days, with no one to bury them and dogs wandering around their bodies, will stay with me forever.
I want people around the world, especially those with a sense of humanity, to pay attention to what is happening in El Fasher. It is a massacre. Armed men are using power against civilians, killing people without mercy and even sharing videos of their crimes on social media. Families are being starved, and children are growing up surrounded by violence and fear.
To world leaders and humanitarian actors, I say this: laying siege to cities, starving communities, and killing civilians without accountability are crimes against our shared conscience. The people of Sudan deserve safety, dignity, and peace. Civilians need a safe passage and unhindered humanitarian access now. Time has run out. They cannot wait any longer.
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The city of El Fasher has been under siege for over 500 days. On Sunday last week media and local sources reported severe atrocities as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) took full control of the city where aid workers are operating under extreme risk.
More than 260,000 people – including an estimated 130,000 children – remain trapped inside the city, enduring famine-like conditions, a total collapse of health services, and no safe way out.
According to the United Nations, about 26,000 people have fled El Fasher. Communication channels remain down but credible accounts indicate summary executions of civilians attempting to flee as well as attacks on escape routes and house-to-house raids.
