Emergency Media Briefing on the Dire Situation in El Fasher, North Darfur

On October 28, 2025, Refugees International, Yale Humanitarian Research Lab, Protection Approaches, and IDP Humanitarian Network hosted a a joint emergency media briefing on El Fasher.

El Fasher, North Darfur, has fallen under the control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after months of intense fighting, leaving tens of thousands of civilians trapped amid widespread destruction, displacement, and severe shortages of food, water, and medical care. A new report from the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) finds evidence consistent with mass executions and ethnic cleansing carried out by the RSF in El Fasher, including satellite imagery showing bodies on the ground, vehicles in tactical formations conducting house-to-house clearance operations, and civilians fleeing the city under siege conditions.

The briefers addressed all aspects of the El Fasher crisis – from the unfolding humanitarian emergency to the security and political implications – and outline the responsibilities of the international community to act.

Moderator:

Daniel P. Sullivan, Refugees International, Director for Africa, Asia, and the Middle East at Refugees International

Panelists:

Nathaniel A. Raymond, Executive Director of the Humanitarian Research Lab at the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH)
Jeremy Konyndyk, President of Refugees International
Dr. Kate Ferguson, Co-Executive Director and co-founder of the human rights NGO Protection Approaches
Emi Mahmoud, Strategic Director of the IDP Humanitarian Network, a Time 100 Next honoree

Resources:

Yale Humanitarian Research Lab Report

Refugees International Statement: Refugees International Atrocity Alert on El Fasher, Darfur