UN: Incessant fighting ravages Sudan and escalates in Darfur’s capital

TANZANIA – Sudan has been ravaged by relentless violence, with large-scale fighting escalating in and around the only capital in Sudan's western Darfur region not held by paramilitary forces, the United Nations' top humanitarian official said on Wednesday.

Acting humanitarian chief Joyce Msuya told the UN Security Council that Zamzam camp, about 15 kilometers from the embattled capital of El Fasher in North Darfur, was already hit by famine. She said a large-scale humanitarian operation was “a matter of life and death.”

Sudan plunged into conflict in mid-April 2023 when long-simmering tensions between its military and paramilitary leaders erupted in the capital Khartoum and spread to other regions such as Darfur. According to the UN, over 14,000 people were killed and 33,000 injured.

Msuya called on the Council to demand that the warring government and the paramilitary Rapid Support Force refrain from launching attacks on civilians, hospitals, schools and other civilian infrastructure and to allow the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid across all border crossings and conflict lines.

She also called on the 193 UN member states to put pressure on the parties “to agree to a humanitarian pause to save lives, give civilians a respite and enable us to deliver assistance.”

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

That legacy appears to have returned, with International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan saying in January that there was reason to believe that both sides in Darfur could commit war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide.

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

In June, the Security Council passed 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 fighting escalated last week due to “sustained and heavy” artillery and bombardment.

“Civilians, especially women and children, have been hit, and civilian facilities and infrastructure – including hospitals and camps for internally displaced people – have also been hit,” she said. “Of the three main hospitals in El Fasher, only one is still functioning, albeit partially, after an attack in August caused major damage.”

In August, international experts confirmed that there was a famine in Zamzam camp, which is home to around 500,000 displaced people.

Msuya said nearly 1.7 million people in North Darfur were facing “acute food shortages,” adding that 13 other locations in Sudan were at risk of famine.

In February, Doctors Without Borders reported that a child was dying every two hours in Zamzam camp, she said. The latest survey by the medical aid organization and the Ministry of Health between September 1 and 5 shows that the situation is worsening.

“About 34 percent of children are malnourished, including 10 percent who are severely malnourished,” Msuya said.

Aid deliveries have been hampered by the fighting and flooding, but Msuya said that as the waters recede in the coming weeks, the UN could begin delivering food and other supplies to El Fasher and other famine-threatened areas.

The acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs stressed that there are two key factors in addressing the “horrific humanitarian situation”: de-escalation of fighting and the willingness of both sides to facilitate access to those in need of assistance.

“There is no doubt that without safe and predictable access and a steady supply of food and humanitarian aid, we will see a dramatic increase in death rates, including among children, in Zamzam and other areas around El Fasher,” she said.

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