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STORY: UN / SUDAN FLETCHER PRESSER
TRT: 04:27
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 17 NOVEMBER 2025, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, UN headquarters
17 NOVEMBER 2025, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, press briefing room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“It’s very clear to me, has been since my first week in the job, when I visited Sudan and visited Darfur, that we need more UN boots on the ground. The UN is a ship that was not built to stay in the harbor, and this visit has been a part of that big push to make sure we're mobilized closer to those we serve.”
4. Wide shot, press briefing room
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“Then, of course, Darfur was kind of the core of the visit. It's an absolute horror show, as many of you have been reporting. El Fasher, based on the testimonies I heard from many survivors, is basically a crime scene right now. I was here this week as part of a sustained effort across the UN leadership, actually. So Amy Pope of the IOM [International Organization for Migration] as you heard at the end of last week, Carl Skau of the WFP [World Food Programme] were also here, and this is now part of a five- to six- week sustained push across several senior UN leaders to get in and surge that engagement in response to what we're hearing from El Fasher and more widely.”
6. Wide shot, press briefing room
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“Of course, we're not just dealing with Darfur. We've also got to keep our eyes on the Kordofans. It's important we investigate the atrocities that have happened in El Fasher, but also that we are working to prevent future atrocities. The needs, of course, are massive. Nearly two in every three people in Sudan needs aid right now. Eleven months into the year, we're at 32 per cent funded of the US$4 billion that we need for 2025, and again, as I've described to you after previous visits, I'm seeing the impact, the huge impact, the brutal life-and-death choices we're making as a result of aid cuts. And just a reminder that all we're asking for to save 114 million lives is 1 per cent of what the world is currently spending on arms and defence.”
8. Wide shot, press briefing room
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“We made progress on getting our teams into El Fasher on UN terms. We're not going to be instrumentalized. As I say, this is a potential crime scene, and we've got to make sure we've got the right people going in, and that the aid is genuinely neutral and impartial when it does go in. We have a surge of UN staff to Darfur. When I left, I had a meeting with 28 UN staff now based or in Tawila at the moment. That's a huge increase on what we've had even three months ago. And I've also been doing, throughout this trip, very close liaison, I've been in daily contact with [US Senior Advisor] Dr. [Massad] Boulos at the White House – and with the Quad more widely and other Member States – on the need for this massive diplomatic push. I think there is potentially a moment of opportunity here.”
10. Wide shot, press briefing room
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“On the contacts with the RSF, I had a call with Hemedti a couple of weeks ago, as part of the preparations for this surge of aid that we want to see and this surge of engagement. I met on the ground just local representatives of the RSF. I think that they certainly heard from me this pressure for us to have complete unhindered access, safe passage, and for the atrocities to stop and for accountability. That's a conversation I've been having with the senior civilian official, as well, of the RSF throughout this visit and in advance of this visit. But as you say, we do need that sustained international pressure. We're seeing it. [US] Secretary [of State Marco] Rubio has been very clear in recent days on this – we're seeing it from across the region as well – on all the parties to give us that humanitarian access and to bring this conflict to an end.”
12. Wide shot, press briefing room
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“We need just that sustained pressure on all the actors to demonstrate that this has gone on too long and that the methods of war – the level of impunity around this conflict – is utterly, utterly unacceptable.”
14. Wide shot, end of press briefing
“The UN is a ship that was not built to stay in the harbor,” UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said Monday, urging a dramatic expansion of UN presence in Sudan as violence intensifies in Darfur.
Briefing reporters in New York City via a video conference from Sudan, Fletcher said “we need more UN boots on the ground,” stressing that his latest visit is part of a broader push “to make sure we're mobilized closer to those we serve.”
Fletcher described Darfur as a “horror show,” adding that El Fasher is a “crime scene” based on testimonies from survivors. He said his trip was coordinated with other senior UN officials, noting that IOM’s Amy Pope and WFP’s Carl Skau were also there on the ground as part of a five- to six-week surge in leadership engagement.
Beyond Darfur, Fletcher warned that the UN must also monitor closely the Kordofans, emphasizing the need to investigate atrocities in El Fasher while preventing new ones.
Humanitarian needs remain overwhelming, he said, with “nearly two in every three people in Sudan” requiring assistance and the UN appeal 32 per cent funded of the 4 billion that is needed for 2025. He added that cuts were forcing “brutal life and death choices.”
Fletcher said the UN had made progress in securing access to El Fasher “on UN terms,” stressing that assistance must remain neutral.
He highlighted intensified diplomatic efforts and suggested “a moment of opportunity” may be emerging.
On engagement with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Fletcher said he spoke with General Hemedti and pressed both him and local RSF representatives for “complete unhindered access, safe passage,” and an end to atrocities.
Citing strong regional and international messaging including from the White House Fletcher said all parties must grant humanitarian access and work to end the conflict. The level of impunity in Sudan, he warned, is “utterly, utterly unacceptable.”
