HomeTop StoriesOngoing fighting is ravaging Sudan and escalating in Darfur's capital, UN says

Ongoing fighting is ravaging Sudan and escalating in Darfur’s capital, UN says

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Ongoing violence has devastated Sudan and large-scale fighting has broken out in and around the only capital in Sudan’s western Darfur region not held by paramilitary forces, the United Nations’ top humanitarian official said Wednesday.

Acting humanitarian chief Joyce Msuya told the UN Security Council that famine had already struck Zamzam camp, about 15 kilometres (10 miles) from the besieged capital of North Darfur, El Fasher. She said a large-scale humanitarian operation was “a matter of life and death”.

Sudan descended into conflict in mid-April 2023, when long-simmering tensions between the military and paramilitary leaders erupted in the capital Khartoum and spread to other regions, including Darfur. More than 14,000 people have been killed and 33,000 wounded, according to the UN.

Msuya urged the council to demand that the warring government and the paramilitary Rapid Support Force cease attacks on civilians, hospitals, schools and other civilian infrastructure, and allow them to deliver humanitarian aid unhindered through all border crossings and across conflict lines.

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She also called on the UN’s 193 member states to press the parties “to agree to a humanitarian pause to save lives, give civilians respite and allow us to deliver aid.”

Two decades ago, Darfur became synonymous with genocide and war crimes, most notably by the notorious Janjaweed Arab militias, against populations identifying as Central or East African. Up to 300,000 people were killed and 2.7 million were displaced from their homes.

That legacy now appears to have returned, with International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan saying in January that there are reasons to believe both sides are guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide in Darfur.

Msuya said: “The world must not tolerate in El Fasher the atrocities we saw in West Darfur.”

In June, the Security Council adopted a resolution calling for “an immediate cessation of fighting and de-escalation in and around El Fasher.”

Unfortunately, Msuya said, both sides ignored the call and the fighting escalated over the past week with “constant and heavy” shelling and bombardments.

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“Civilians, particularly women and children, have been hit (and) civilian sites and infrastructure — including hospitals and camps for displaced people — have been hit,” she said. “Of the three main hospitals in El Fasher, only one is functioning, although only partially following an attack that caused extensive damage in August.”

In August, international experts confirmed that famine was raging in Zamzam camp, home to about 500,000 displaced people.

Msuya said nearly 1.7 million people in North Darfur face “acute food insecurity,” adding that 13 other places in Sudan have been identified as areas at risk of famine.

In February, Doctors Without Borders reported that one child died every two hours in Zamzam camp, she said. The latest screening by the medical aid agency and the Ministry of Health between September 1 and 5 indicates that the situation is deteriorating.

“About 34% of children are malnourished, of which 10% are severely malnourished,” Msuya said.

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The delivery of aid has been hampered by fighting and flooding, but Msuya said that once the waters recede in the coming weeks, the UN could begin delivering food and other aid to El Fasher and other areas at risk of famine.

The Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs stressed that there are two keys to addressing the “appalling humanitarian situation”: a de-escalation of the fighting and a willingness on both sides to facilitate access to those in need.

“Have no doubt: without safe and predictable access and a steady supply of food and humanitarian aid, we will see a dramatic increase in deaths – including those of children – in Zamzam and other areas around El Fasher,” she said.

“The same applies to the situation across Sudan,” Msuya said, particularly the capital Khartoum and the neighbouring states of Sennar and Jazeera in southeastern Sudan, which continue to be plagued by “relentless violence.”

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