Latest news with #NorthDarfur
Zawya
a day ago
- Health
- Zawya
Sudan: United Nation (UN) sounds the alarm as health and food crises worsen across the country
As conflict between rival militaries rages on, millions of people keep on being displaced. While the UN and its partners continue to provide assistance to newly displaced families in North Darfur, 'nearly 60 per cent of displaced families still lack adequate shelter support,' said Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General, Farhan Haq, at a daily press briefing on Monday. In Abu Shouk camp in El Fasher, the North Darfur capital, displaced families are facing acute shortages of food and medicine, with local sources reporting four hunger-related deaths last week, as food insecurity continues to worsen across the entire country. In North Darfur state notably, low cereal supply, poor harvests and a prolonged food deficit have severely affected food availability. Health crisis Meanwhile, cholera cases continue to rise in Tawila. More than 1,500 suspected and confirmed serious infections have been reported since June, with over 500 people currently receiving treatment. While local authorities have introduced emergency measures, including market closures and a ban on public gatherings, humanitarian organizations urgently require $120 million to scale up life-saving support in Tawila over the next three months. 'This funding is essential to contain the outbreak and sustain critical services,' according to OCHA. Meanwhile, in Port Sudan, the main entry point for humanitarian personnel and supplies, a sharp increase in heatstroke cases linked to extreme temperature and prolonged power outages is raising concerns, as one death was recorded over the past two days. Food crisis In El Fasher, food prices continue to rise to alarming levels. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has already identified famine conditions in multiple areas of North Darfur and the eastern Nuba Mountains, with more locations at risk. In May, the average cost of the local food basket in El Fasher was more than six times the national average, as the city recorded the highest prices for nearly all essential items among assessed localities. An IPC alert earlier this month noted that Sudan's food security and nutrition situation is set to further deteriorate over the lean season from July to October, notably in areas of active conflict with limited access and experiencing high levels of displacement. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN News.
Asharq Al-Awsat
6 days ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
RSF Shelling On Camp Kills 8 in Sudan's Darfur, Say Rescuers
Rapid Support Forces (RSF) shelled a displacement camp in Sudan's Darfur region on Thursday, killing eight civilians and injuring others, a local rescue group said. The bombardment hit Abu Shouk camp, which hosts tens of thousands of displaced people on the outskirts of El Fasher, the besieged capital of North Darfur. El-Fasher remains the last major stronghold in Sudan's western Darfur region not under the control of the RSF, who have been at war with the regular army since April 2023, AFP reported. "The Abu Shouk camp witnessed heavy artillery bombardment by the RSF... killing eight people," the camp's Emergency Response Room said in a statement. In recent weeks, El-Fasher, which has been under RSF siege since last year, has been locked in intense fighting between warring sides in a region also gripped by famine. Thursday's offensive comes just days after a series of attacks by the RSF targeted another battleground region of Sudan. More than 450 people, including 35 children, were killed in several villages of North Kordofan, southwest of the capital Khartoum, according to a statement released this week by the UN's children agency. "No child should ever experience such horrors," said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. "Violence against children is unconscionable and must end now." On Sunday, the RSF claimed to have killed more than 470 army personnel near the town of El-Obeid, also in North Kordofan, in a statement posted to its Telegram channel. Independent verification of casualties in Sudan remains difficult due to restricted access to its conflict zones. Now in its third year, the conflict has killed tens of thousands and forced millions to flee, creating what the United Nations describes as the world's largest displacement crisis. In December last year, famine was officially declared in three displacement camps near El-Fasher, namely Zamzam, Abu Shouk and Al-Salam, according to the UN. Since the Sudanese army regained control of the capital Khartoum in March, the RSF has shifted its operations westward, focusing on Darfur and Kordofan in a bid to consolidate territorial gains. In April, RSF fighters seized the Zamzam displacement camp, located near Abu Shouk. The assault forced nearly 400,000 people to flee, according to UN figures, effectively emptying one of the country's largest camps for the displaced. Sudanese analyst Mohaned el-Nour told AFP the RSF aims to redefine its role in the conflict. "Their goal is no longer to be seen as a militia, but as an alternative government in western Sudan, undermining the legitimacy of the authorities in Port Sudan." He added that the recent surge in violence in North Kordofan was likely intended to divert the army's attention from El Fasher, where the military is trying "at all costs" to maintain.
Zawya
23-07-2025
- Health
- Zawya
Sudan: UN scales up response plan as humanitarian needs rise in Tawila
The aim is to increase assistance for communities over the next three months, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Tuesday. The updated plan focuses on food, healthcare, water, sanitation, shelter and protection, and requires $120 million for implementation. Spread of diseases The health situation in North Darfur has also been deteriorating, with humanitarian partners on the ground warning that cholera, measles, malaria and trauma cases are surging in Tawila, El Fasher and Kebkabiya. Insecurity has forced the more than 32 health facilities in the region to close, and the lack of rapid diagnostic tests along with widespread Internet outages are also severely hindering disease surveillance. Critical shortages of surgical supplies, essential medicines and vaccines are 'pushing the health system to the brink, leaving thousands without access to the care that they need to stay alive,' UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said during his daily press briefing from New York. Deadly civilian toll Displacement continues to take a deadly toll on civilians seeking safety. Last week, 17 displaced people reportedly died of thirst and dehydration after their vehicle broke down in the desert, according to officials in Northern state. OCHA also reported that markets in South Darfur are reeling from sharp price increases due to flooding and seasonal rivers cutting off supply routes from Chad and Northern state. Meanwhile, the UN remains 'deeply concerned over escalating violence in the Kordofan region,' Mr. Dujarric said, after five civilians were reportedly killed and several others injured in drone strikes on fuel markets in Al Fula and Abu Zabad towns in West Kordofan state. The UN called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, the protection of civilians and humanitarian personnel, unimpeded access across conflict lines and borders, and increased international support to address the spiraling humanitarian needs across Sudan. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN News.
Zawya
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
Sudan: United Nation (UN) Human Rights Chief deplores killing of dozens of civilians in Kordofan
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Thursday deplored the killing of dozens of civilians by both parties amid ongoing hostilities in Sudan's Kordofan region over the past week. The UN Human Rights Office has verified the killing of least 60 civilians by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in North Kordofan's Bara locality since 10 July. Civil society groups have reported that up to 300 people were killed. At least 23 other civilians were reportedly killed and more than 30 others injured when airstrikes by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) hit two villages in West Kordofan from 10 to 14 July. In addition, on 17 July, at least 11 civilians - all members of a single family - were killed in a SAF airstrike in Bara locality. 'It is distressing that more than two years since the conflict began parties to the conflict in Sudan continue to demonstrate callous disregard for civilians' lives and safety,' said Türk. The latest civilian deaths come amid worrying reports that the RSF is mobilising for an offensive on El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state. The UN Human Rights Chief also expressed continued concern for the safety of civilians in El Fasher, North Darfur, following multiple RSF attacks on the besieged city in recent days, including a ground attack on 11 and 12 July, which reportedly resulted in civilian casualties. 'An escalation of hostilities in North Darfur and Kordofan will only further aggravate the already severe risks to civilians and the dire humanitarian situation in a conflict that has already wrought untold suffering on the Sudanese people,' said Türk. 'I urge those with influence to act to prevent such an escalation, and to ensure that both parties uphold their obligations under international law, including on the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure.' The High Commissioner renewed his calls on the warring parties to ensure safe, sustained and unimpeded access to humanitarian aid, including through humanitarian pauses, and to prevent and repress violations of international law. 'All alleged violations must be fully and independently investigated and those responsible brought to justice,' he said. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations: Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
Arab News
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Paramilitary shelling on camp kills 8 in Sudan's Darfur: rescuers
PORT SUDAN: Paramilitary forces shelled a displacement camp in Sudan's Darfur region on Thursday, killing eight civilians and injuring others, a local rescue group said. The bombardment hit Abu Shouk camp, which hosts tens of thousands of displaced people on the outskirts of El Fasher, the besieged capital of North Darfur. El-Fasher remains the last major stronghold in Sudan's western Darfur region not under the control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who have been at war with the regular army since April 2023. 'The Abu Shouk camp witnessed heavy artillery bombardment by the RSF... killing eight people,' the camp's Emergency Response Room said in a statement. In recent weeks, El-Fasher, which has been under paramilitary siege since last year, has been locked in intense fighting between warring sides in a region also gripped by famine. Thursday's offensive comes just days after a series of attacks by the RSF targeted another battleground region of Sudan. More than 450 people, including 35 children, were killed in several villages of North Kordofan, southwest of the capital Khartoum, according to a statement released this week by the UN's children agency. 'No child should ever experience such horrors,' said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. 'Violence against children is unconscionable and must end now.' On Sunday, the RSF claimed to have killed more than 470 army personnel near the town of El-Obeid, also in North Kordofan, in a statement posted to its Telegram channel. Independent verification of casualties in Sudan remains difficult due to restricted access to its conflict zones. Now in its third year, the conflict has killed tens of thousands and forced millions to flee, creating what the United Nations describes as the world's largest displacement crisis. In December last year, famine was officially declared in three displacement camps near El-Fasher, namely Zamzam, Abu Shouk and Al-Salam, according to the UN. Since the Sudanese army regained control of the capital Khartoum in March, the RSF has shifted its operations westward, focusing on Darfur and Kordofan in a bid to consolidate territorial gains. In April, RSF fighters seized the Zamzam displacement camp, located near Abu Shouk. The assault forced nearly 400,000 people to flee, according to UN figures, effectively emptying one of the country's largest camps for the displaced. Sudanese analyst Mohaned el-Nour told AFP the RSF aims to redefine its role in the conflict. 'Their goal is no longer to be seen as a militia, but as an alternative government in western Sudan, undermining the legitimacy of the authorities in Port Sudan.' He added that the recent surge in violence in North Kordofan was likely intended to divert the army's attention from El Fasher, where the military is trying 'at all costs' to maintain.
