The continuous armed conflict wreaking devastation on El Fasher city in Sudan’s North Darfur province has deeply saddened and frustrated Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan.
“This is heartbreaking and must stop. There is no excuse for direct attacks on civilians, their worth, and essential facilities such as hospitals. These are protected under international humanitarian law. Parties to the conflict must refrain from targeting the city,” she stated in a statement.
The United Nations stated that initial reports show that violent fighting escalated in El Fasher on September 12, risking thousands of lives, mostly in internally displaced people’s camps.
Healthcare institutions have been impacted by the fighting, although it is unknown how many civilians have died. But the fighting is still going on, destroying vital infrastructure, livelihoods, and lives.
Hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons in El Fasher, especially those in the Zamzamcamp where hunger has been established, are at risk of starvation.
However, the prolonged conflict has also severely damaged Sudan’s public health system, with numerous facilities being destroyed, looted, or abandoned, depriving more than five million people of access to healthcare.
“These reprehensible attacks show the pointlessness of the armed violence in El Fasher. All parties to the conflict must uphold their obligations to international humanitarian law and ensure civilians are protected from harm. Nkweta-Salami emphasized, “These attacks in El Fasher contradict every humanitarian principle.
Humanitarian needs in the country have been driven by the power struggle between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), which exploded into a large-scale fighting in mid-April of last year.
Over 15,000 individuals are thought to have died in the fighting, and at least 12 million people have been displaced.
More than half of Sudan’s population, or about 25 million people, require humanitarian aid.
However, Sudan was already facing a serious humanitarian crisis before the start of the conflict.
There are worries that access to humanitarian aid is becoming increasingly restricted as the conflict in Sudan spreads.
The distribution of help has been hampered by intense violence and restrictions on the movement of humanitarian actors, particularly in the country’s south, where relief is most needed.