Hundreds of thousands of lives are at risk from fighting in the besieged town of El-Fasher in Sudan, senior UN officials warned on Wednesday, September 18, concerned about the escalation of the war in Darfur.
War broke out in April 2023 between the army led by General Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Al-Bourhane and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by his former deputy, Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, known as “Hemetti”. El Fasher, the only capital of the five Darfur states not in the hands of the RSF, has been besieged by these paramilitaries since May.
“Hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped in El Fasher and are now at risk of mass violence”Martha Pobee, UN Under-Secretary-General for Africa, told the Security Council. “The fighting, which is spreading across the city, is further exposing these already extremely vulnerable populations, including many displaced people living in huge camps near El-Fasher.”he added.
“Civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and camps for displaced people, has come under attack. Hundreds of thousands of people face imminent threat, including more than 700,000 displaced people in and around El-Fasher.”“We are seeing a significant number of women and children falling victim to the fighting,” said Joyce Msuya, acting head of the UN humanitarian office. “Our concern is growing following reports of shelling in the central and western districts of the city and the deployment of additional armed forces.”he declared again.
The war has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions in Sudan, causing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises according to the UN, with risks of widespread famine. “We are horrified by the signs that the fighting is intensifying”Joyce Msuya stressed.
UN Human Rights Council experts called in early September “deployment without delay” of a force “independent and impartial” protection of civilians in Sudan, a recommendation rejected by the country’s leaders. US President Joe Biden on Tuesday called on the warring parties to resume peace negotiations and also expressed concern about the situation in El Fasher.
