New York, November 19 (Darfur24)
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has called for immediate humanitarian access to El Fasher, warning that conditions in the city and surrounding areas have reached catastrophic levels.
Patrick Youssef, the ICRC’s regional director for Africa, said on Tuesday that “every day without access to El Fasher is a lost day for civilians,” stressing that aid agencies must be allowed to deliver assistance and assess needs directly on the ground.
Speaking at a press conference in Geneva, Youssef said the ICRC has repeatedly warned of worsening conditions in North Darfur and that the situation has now become “extremely tragic.”
He added that ICRC teams are stationed around El Fasher, where large numbers of displaced people have fled, and maintain a significant presence in Tawila. In the coming hours, the organization plans to distribute cash assistance to 75,000 people and supply essential medical materials and logistical support to an MSF-run hospital.
Youssef underscored that aid groups require secure space to operate: “We are not just a charity delivering goods. We need to meet people, understand their suffering, and respond accordingly.”
He praised the Sudanese Red Crescent Society, which has lost 27 volunteers since the war began. While global attention is currently on El Fasher, he called for a comprehensive approach to Sudan’s wider humanitarian crisis.
“Don’t be misled,” he said. “Today it is El Fasher. Yesterday it was Al-Jazeera. Before that, Omdurman and Khartoum. Assistance and protection are needed across all of Sudan.”
Youssef confirmed the ICRC is engaging with the warring parties and the Quartet — the United States, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt — and welcomed broader involvement, including from the African Union, to help end the cycle of violence.
He said Sudan’s crisis “has not been forgotten, but has been neglected,” expressing hope for renewed efforts toward a ceasefire and for a peace that “respects civilians and restores their role as agents of change.”