Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council Chairperson Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan reaffirmed his country's commitment to cooperating with the United Nations and its agencies, particularly on humanitarian efforts, while insisting that all UN operations must respect Sudan's sovereignty. During a meeting in Port Sudan with UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher, Al-Burhan accused the "Dagalo militia"—a reference to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)—of "using food as a weapon to starve civilians in El-Fasher." Fletcher warned that Sudan's humanitarian crisis "poses grave risks," citing "horrific violations against civilians" in the city. Fletcher reaffirmed the UN's commitment to delivering life-saving food and medicine to millions of displaced people inside and outside Sudan and expressed readiness to expand cooperation with local and international partners to ensure aid reaches those in need. Deputy Foreign Minister Mawia Khalid described Fletcher's visit as "the highest-level UN mission to Sudan in recent months," noting that talks focused on the aftermath of the RSF's seizure of El-Fasher and the ensuing mass displacement, reports of killings, beatings, and sexual assaults. Foreign Minister Mohieldin Salem said Sudan does not officially recognise the "Quad" group—comprising the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE—arguing that it was "not established by the UN or any international organisation." He stressed that Sudan preferred direct bilateral coordination with those countries. Salem added that his trilateral meeting with Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aaty and Fletcher also addressed the humanitarian situation of displaced populations in the towns of Dabba and Tawila, as well as in besieged areas such as Babnousa, Kadugli, and Dilling. Meanwhile, fighting between the army and the RSF has intensified across the Kordofan region. Military sources reported airstrikes by the Sudanese army on RSF positions near Nyala in South Darfur, while clashes continued in West Kordofan's Babnousa, where the RSF is attempting to seize control of the city. On the humanitarian front, UN Women warned that there is "mounting evidence that rape is being used deliberately and systematically" across Sudan. The agency's Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Anna Mutavati, said testimonies from women in El-Fasher revealed "horrific suffering," including pregnant women forced to give birth in the streets after the city's last maternity hospital was looted and destroyed. "Women's bodies have become crime scenes in Sudan," Mutavati said, adding that "there are no safe spaces left." She highlighted the collapse of basic dignity amid soaring prices and widespread hunger—sanitary pads now cost around $27 in North Darfur, while the average monthly cash aid for a family of six is only $150. Many mothers, she said, skip meals so their children can eat, leading to a surge in infant malnutrition as starving women are unable to breastfeed. In a separate statement, International Organization for Migration (IOM) Director-General Amy Pope warned that worsening violence and insecurity in El-Fasher had triggered a new wave of displacement, with around 90,000 people fleeing the city in the past two weeks and 39,000 escaping North Kordofan since late October. "Humanitarian operations are on the verge of total collapse," Pope said, citing severe funding shortages and dangerous access conditions. World Food Programme (WFP) Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau reaffirmed the agency's "commitment to expanding food assistance and supporting local farmers," while the UN Human Rights Office said 25 million Sudanese now face acute food insecurity—making the crisis "one of the world's largest humanitarian emergencies." The European Commission's humanitarian spokesperson Eva Hrnčířová described El-Fasher as "a graveyard for humanity," noting that 1.5 million Sudanese have already fled to Chad as millions more within the country teeter on the brink of famine. Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a brutal war between the army and the RSF, leaving tens of thousands dead and displacing around 13 million people. The RSF now controls most of the western Darfur region, while the army retains control of much of the north, east, and centre, including the temporary capital, Port Sudan.
