October 27, 2026 | Darfur Network for Human Rights
October 26 marked one year since the fall of El Fasher to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in 2025. The Darfur Network for Human Rights (DNHR) calls for concrete action on missing persons, survivor support, and accountability.
We remember those who lost their lives and stand with survivors and families searching for relatives. Their experiences and priorities must guide the response.
Survivors’ accounts from the fall of El Fasher
In November 2025, DNHR published testimonies describing violence against civilians during their flight from El Fasher. Survivors recounted killings, detention, and demands for money in exchange for freedom.
Yousef, a survivor identified by a pseudonym, described his detention on the road toward Tawila. He secured his release through payment. However, others could not leave.
“I paid, but many others remained there,” he told DNHR.
Fatima fled with her children after losing her husband. She described the theft of their belongings and their struggle to find enough food.
“Now, we depend entirely on others for survival, and food remains insufficient,” she said at the time.
These accounts describe survivors’ experiences in 2025. They also show why practical support must accompany calls for justice. Families need information, access to care, and help rebuilding their lives.
Four practical steps to support survivors
DNHR calls on protection organizations, humanitarian partners, investigative mechanisms, and donors to pursue the following actions.
1. Agree on missing-person referral arrangements within 30 days
Protection and family-tracing organizations should identify focal points for cases involving people missing from El Fasher. They should then agree on secure referral procedures with Sudanese civil society groups.
Families need a clear way to submit information and receive acknowledgment. They must also understand who will follow up and how to contact them.
Partners should track case acknowledgments and follow-up contacts. Throughout this process, they must protect personal information and explain how they will use it.
2. Map available survivor services within 60 days
Health and protection partners should update a shared directory of services for displaced communities from El Fasher. It should cover medical care, psychosocial support, legal assistance, and family tracing.
The directory should identify active providers, referral contacts, and access requirements. In addition, partners should record barriers such as transport costs, fees, and service shortages.
Donors can then direct support toward these documented gaps. Partners should measure progress through completed referrals and assistance received, while protecting survivors’ identities.
3. Improve evidence referrals within 90 days
Organizations documenting violations should coordinate with relevant investigative mechanisms to clarify secure submission channels. This coordination should cover evidence from the siege, takeover, and attacks on fleeing civilians.
Investigative teams should acknowledge submissions where their procedures allow. They should also identify evidence gaps and explain witness protection requirements.
Where possible, organizations should coordinate interviews to reduce repeated questioning. Survivors must understand the purpose of each interview and choose whether to participate.
4. Review progress by January 27, 2027
Protection partners and supporting donors should provide an aggregate update on these actions by January 27, 2027.
The update should record case referrals, follow-up contacts, and access to survivor services. It should also identify unresolved funding and access barriers.
Crucially, reporting must distinguish referrals from assistance actually received. It must exclude details that could expose survivors, witnesses, or families to harm.
Civilian protection remains an immediate priority
Alongside these steps, DNHR calls on the RSF and all parties to stop attacks on civilians and allow safe humanitarian access.
Those holding detainees must disclose their whereabouts, facilitate family contact, and allow access to independent monitors. They must release anyone they hold arbitrarily.
The proposed deadlines provide benchmarks for practical coordination. They do not delay immediate protection obligations. Nor do they suggest that investigators can resolve every case within three months.
Survivors must help shape justice and recovery
One year after the fall of El Fasher, remembrance must lead to sustained action.
Survivors and affected families must help shape assistance, truth-seeking, and reparations. This includes displaced people and refugees who face barriers to participation.
DNHR calls for a response that measures progress through reliable information, accessible care, and meaningful follow-through. The people of El Fasher deserve protection, dignity, and justice.