The UN has appealed for safe passage for civilians trapped in war-torn Sudan cities

The UN has called on stranded civilians from the Sudanese town of al-Fashar for safe passage after paramilitaries announced they had taken control of the main army base there.

Sudan’s military has not acknowledged the loss of the site, which would be a significant victory for the Rapid Support Force (RSF) in the ongoing civil war.

UN chief Antonio Guterres said the latest fighting had led to a “terrible escalation” in the conflict, adding that civilian suffering was “unbearable”, AFP news agency reported.

Al-Fashar is the last military stronghold in the vast western part of Darfur and has been besieged by the RSF and its allies for 18 months.

Fierce fighting has been ongoing since Saturday after RSF fighters seized the governor’s house in North Darfur.

Social media videos verified by the BBC now show RSF fighters celebrating the capture of the army’s al-Fashar headquarters.

They claim they have taken full control of al-Fashar, but the military’s local allies say fighting continues in parts of the city.

The group is accused of targeting civilians in airstrikes and trapping some 250,000 people after surrounding the city with an earth wall, leaving many on the brink of starvation.

The city is one of the worst battlegrounds of Sudan’s civil war, leading the UN to call it a “center of suffering”.

Tom Fletcher, the UN’s top humanitarian official, said he was deeply concerned by reports of civilian deaths.

“As the fighters push further into the city and escape routes are cut off, hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped and terrified – under fire, starving and without food, health care or security,” Fletcher said in a statement.

“Citizens should be allowed safe passage and be able to get help,” he added.

The US has also demanded a safe passage and is trying to negotiate a ceasefire.

Taking el-Fashar would be a significant comeback for the RSF after its defeat in Khartoum.

But this is a sign that the civil war will not end, but will continue.

Sudan has been wracked by conflict since 2023, after top commanders of the RSF and the Sudanese army defected and a vicious power struggle ensued.

More than 150,000 people have died and nearly 12 million have fled their homes across the country, creating the worst humanitarian crisis ever.

The army controls most of the north and east, Al-Fashar is by far the last major urban center in Darfur still held by government forces and its allies.

The RSF controls almost all of Darfur and the neighboring Kordofan region.

The group has previously said it hopes to form a rival government to Al-Fashar when it assumes full control.

Additional reporting by Natasha Booty, Damien Daman Zane, Dama Chennai Never Chennai Nist Kamban.