War in Sudan: Humanitarian, fighting, control developments, October 2025

Sudan’s civil conflict between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the regular army, known as the Sudan Armed Forces, is still persuasive.

Both sides are accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in the third year of the conflict. Additionally, the RSF is suspected of carrying out genocides, particularly in Darfur’s encroachment.

What significant humanitarian, political, and battlefield developments are occurring this month?

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• After capturing the besieged city of El-Fasher on October 26, the RSF now effectively controls the entire western region of Darfur.
• It launched a mass killing campaign against civilians fleeing to remote villages and towns after the RSF invaded El-Fasher. At least 1,500 people were killed in 48 hours, according to Sudan Doctors Network, the local monitor.
• At the end of October, the RSF also seized Baraa, a crucial town in North Kordofan state. In Baraa, it is reported that the RSF allegedly violated serious human rights. At least 47 people were murdered in their homes, and more than 4,500 have been displaced from their homes, according to the Sudan Doctors Network.

The RSF is now prepared to attack el-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, after capturing Baraa and el-Fasher. The SAF could suffer a significant setback from the loss of the city because it serves as a significant buffer to the army-controlled central and eastern Sudan.

Humanitarian crisis

• Tens of thousands of people are hiding in underground trenches in El-Fasher from RSF troops, or they are attempting to travel through remote towns, which are about 60 kilometers (37 miles) away.
• It had laid a suffocating siege on the city for more than 18 months prior to the RSF’s capture of El-Fasher. Hundreds of thousands of residents were forced to flee by the siege, while those who remained avoided starvation by consuming local “ambaz” animal fodder. Those who are now making their way through the desert to safety are at risk of passing out from thirst and road hunger.
• Tom Fletcher, the UN’s top aid official, described the horrifying plight of those trying to flee El-Fasher and said “women and girls are being raped and people are being mutilated.”
• Just over 33 000 people have moved into nearby towns, according to the International Organization for Migration. Most newcomers rely on local volunteers for food and shelter, but most of them lack adequate shelter and food.
• North Kordofan’s situation is also catastrophic. About 1,900 people from Bara, according to the Sudan Doctors Network, made the trip to El-Obeid. The majority of people sleep in open-air huts without roofs or adequate sanitation.
• The SAF took the initiative by designating two top World Food Program officials as “persona non grata,” raising questions about the SAF’s commitment to addressing the hunger crisis despite the country’s famine-level hunger epidemic. The officials allegedly violated their “neutrality,” according to Sudan’s state-run news agency without providing any further justification.
• The expulsions of two of WFP’s top officials “jeopardizes” their humanitarian efforts at a time when 24 million people are enduring food insecurity across the nation, according to a statement from WFP.

political and diplomatic developments

• On October 25, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, four countries that are part of the Quad, met in Washington to discuss putting together a roadmap to end the conflict. The Quad reportedly agreed to form a symbolic “joint committee” to put an end to the conflict with little success and reportedly made no progress.
• Two days before the RSF invaded El-Fasher and committed new atrocities, the diplomatic meeting took place. In the past, the RSF has launched major offensives using peace talks and mediation. For instance, the RSF seized four of the five states in Darfur in a lightning rod attack in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, shortly after ceasefire negotiations had broken down.
• Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the SAF commander, met with Egypt’s president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on October 16 to discuss a potential ceasefire.
• To date, diplomatic efforts to put an end to the war have failed to significantly lessen atrocities or guarantee a fundamental ceasefire.