In late October 2025, the city of El Fasher in Darfur, Sudan, became a flashpoint of catastrophe — both a humanitarian and moral one. It is estimated that more than 36,000 people fled on foot in recent days to the nearby town of Tawila, itself already sheltering over 650,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Particularly devastating, according to the World Health Organization: More than 460 patients and their companions were reportedly shot and killed at the Saudi Maternity Hospital in El Fasher, as the city fell. Six health workers were abducted.
Pope Leo spoke of the tragedy on November 2 after praying the midday Angelus:
It is with great sorrow that I follow the tragic news coming from Sudan, particularly from the city of El Fasher in the tormented northern Darfur region. Indiscriminate violence against women and children, attacks on defenseless civilians, and serious obstacles to humanitarian action are causing unacceptable suffering to a population already exhausted by long months of conflict.
Let us pray that the Lord will welcome the deceased, sustain the suffering, and touch the hearts of those responsible. I renew my heartfelt appeal to the parties involved for a ceasefire and the urgent opening of humanitarian corridors. Finally, I invite the international community to intervene decisively and generously, to offer assistance and support to those who are working to bring relief.
The scale of the atrocity
International agencies have collected harrowing reports of mass killings, sexual violence, abductions and targeted looting after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) captured the city following more than 500 days under siege.
The UN human-rights office (OHCHR) confirmed “horrendous accounts of summary executions, mass killings, rapes, attacks against humanitarian workers, looting, abductions and forced displacement.” Voices of survivors tell of going on foot for three to four days, walking some 70 km (43 miles) to safety in Tawila.
A humanitarian collapse
El Fasher’s collapse must be understood as both violence and siege. Prior to the takeover, the city had endured a protracted blockade: more than 1,100 violations were verified, over 1,000 children had been killed or maimed, and essential services had collapsed.
The combined effects of war, starvation, and disease mark the worst humanitarian disaster in the world today.
Medical staff report that 189 attacks on medical facilities across Sudan this year resulted in 1,670 deaths and 419 injuries — and 86% of those killed occurred this year alone.
Meanwhile, funding for humanitarian response is dangerously low: only 27.4% of the Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan is funded; for the health sector the figure is 37%.
A call for Christian solidarity
As Catholics and people of goodwill, we are compelled to stand with the suffering — no matter who they are. The Catechism reminds us:
“The peace of the whole human family is the concern of all. The human person, made in the image of God, has the right to be respected in his or her dignity.” (CCC 2304)
In the face of atrocity, hiding behind indifference is itself a moral failure. This crisis demands prayer, advocacy and action: ensuring aid reaches those trapped, documenting atrocities so justice may follow, and supporting agencies like Caritas Internationalis and Catholic Relief Services who work in the region.
Looking toward hope
Though overwhelmed, local humanitarian workers remain — their courage shines in darkness. We must amplify their voices and insist that corridors of relief and protection be opened. The shocking events in El Fasher show what happens when war, neglect and displacement intersect.
El Fasher is more than a news story — it is a living testament to what happens when human dignity goes unprotected. And so we pray: for the innocent, for the displaced, for the resurgence of compassion where bombs and blockades have reigned.
