Displaced Sudanese who fled El-Fasher after the city fell to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), arrive in the town of Tawila war-torn Sudan's western Darfur region. AFP
In a statement issued on Thursday, Al-Azhar, the world's leading Sunni Islamic institution, noted that the killing, shelling, starvation, and deprivation of medical and humanitarian services represent “a flagrant breach of human values, religious principles, and international conventions.”
Al-Azhar called on Sudan’s wise leaders and the international community to urgently intervene and mediate to end the massacres and violations against the Sudanese people.
The institution stressed the need to uphold reason and wisdom, prioritize Sudan’s higher national interests, preserve its unity, and stop the bloodshed that continues to claim innocent lives and tear the country apart.
Al-Azhar reminded the perpetrators that those they are killing are their fellow Sudanese—sharing the same faith, homeland, and heritage—and warned that being drawn into conflicts fueled by malicious political interests will only bring more bloodshed, poverty, hatred, and division, while serving foreign agendas that seek to weaken Sudan and exploit its resources.
The statement reaffirmed Al-Azhar’s readiness to dispatch urgent relief convoys to Sudan to help address the deteriorating humanitarian situation.
It also urged the international community to fulfill its moral and humanitarian responsibilities by acting swiftly to stop the violations, protect civilians, and facilitate the delivery of food, medicine, and aid.
Al-Azhar concluded with prayers for Sudan’s safety, unity, and stability, asking God to grant peace and security to its people and to replace their fear with safety and tranquility.
Reports from El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, describe one of the deadliest chapters of Sudan’s 18-month war, as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized the city after months of siege. The takeover led to mass killings, the collapse of medical services, and widespread civilian displacement.
According to the WHO and rights groups, more than 460 people — including patients, doctors, and displaced civilians — were killed on October 28 inside the Saudi Maternity Hospital, which was sheltering hundreds of families. The hospital was bombarded and raided, and several health workers were abducted.
Human Rights Watch and the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab documented mass graves and summary executions across the city. The civilian death toll from the assault is estimated to exceed 1,500 within three days.
El-Fasher’s health system has now completely collapsed, with cholera and malnutrition spreading among the trapped population of over 260,000 civilians. The city has been cut off from humanitarian aid since February 2025.
The fall of El-Fasher, the Sudanese army’s last major stronghold in Darfur, places almost the entire region under RSF control — a development analysts warn could trigger further atrocities and deepen Sudan’s humanitarian and political crisis.
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