The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) reported in late November that at least 400 unaccompanied children had arrived in the town of Tawila, North Darfur, after fleeing the city of el-Fasher. The influx of children, who are arriving without parents or guardians, follows the seizure of el-Fasher by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on October 26.
According to a statement from the NRC, the actual number of unaccompanied minors is believed to be significantly higher than the initial count. The humanitarian organization described the condition of the children arriving in Tawila, located approximately 60 kilometers (37 miles) west of el-Fasher.
“Children are reaching Tawila exhausted and deeply distressed, often after days of walking through the desert,” the NRC stated. “Many became separated from their parents during the chaos of flight, while others’ parents are believed to have gone missing, been detained or killed.”
The organization has registered at least 15,000 new arrivals in Tawila since the RSF took control of el-Fasher. An educator with the NRC’s program in the town, identified as Nidaa, reported that children displayed “signs of acute trauma.”
“When we first started our classes, some of the children could not speak at all when they arrived,” Nidaa said in the NRC report. “They describe hiding for hours, travelling at night to avoid attacks, and becoming separated from family in the chaos.”
The RSF’s takeover of el-Fasher followed an 18-month siege of the North Darfur state capital. The RSF has been in conflict with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) since April 2023. The United Nations reports that over 100,000 people have fled el-Fasher since late October.
The RSF has denied accusations of targeting civilians. Volker Türk, the UN human rights chief, stated in mid-November that events in el-Fasher “constitute the gravest of crimes.”
Humanitarian groups report that displacement camps in Tawila are experiencing severe strain. In a November 5 report, the Sudanese American Physicians Association stated that Tawila had become “a stand-alone crisis epicentre,” with over 650,000 internally displaced people from el-Fasher and other areas. The report noted that 74 percent of displaced residents lived in informal sites and less than 10 percent had reliable access to water or latrines.
In a separate statement, a group of UN experts expressed concerns about the increased risk of human trafficking and sexual exploitation for women and children in the region.
“We are deeply concerned at the alarming reports of human trafficking since the takeover of el-Fasher and surrounding areas by the [RSF],” the experts said. “Women, unaccompanied and separated children are at elevated risk of sexual violence and sexual exploitation.” The experts also noted the vulnerability of displaced children to recruitment by armed groups.
