Latest news with #SudaneseArmy
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Health
- Al Jazeera
‘This must stop now': UN food body condemns RSF attacks on Sudan premises
The World Food Programme (WFP) has said it is 'shocked and alarmed' that its premises in southwestern Sudan have been hit by repeated shelling from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), as the paramilitary group wages a brutal civil war, now in its third year, with the Sudanese army. 'Humanitarian staff, assets, operations and supplies should never be a target. This must stop now', the United Nations body said on X on is the last major city held by the Sudanese army in the Darfur region. It has witnessed intense fighting between the army and RSF since May 2024, despite international warnings about the risks of violence in a city that serves as a key humanitarian hub for the five Darfur states. For more than a year, the RSF has sought to wrest control of el-Fasher, located more than 800km (500 miles) southwest of the capital, Khartoum, from the army, launching regular attacks on the city and two major famine-hit camps for displaced people on its outskirts. Adding to humanitarian woes on the ground, the Health Ministry in Khartoum state on Thursday reported 942 new cholera infections and 25 deaths the previous day, following 1,177 cases and 45 deaths the day before. Aid workers say the scale of the cholera outbreak is deteriorating due to the near-total collapse of health services, with about 90 percent of hospitals in key war zones no longer operational. Since August 2024, Sudan has reported more than 65,000 suspected cholera cases and at least 1,700 deaths across 12 of its 18 states. Khartoum alone has seen 7,700 cases and 185 deaths, including more than 1,000 infections in children under five, as it contends with more than two years of fighting between the army and the RSF. Sudan's army-backed government in Khartoum state announced earlier this month that all relief initiatives in the state must register with the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC), a government body that oversees humanitarian operations in Sudan. Aid workers and activists are fearful these regulations will lead to a crackdown on local relief volunteers, exacerbating the catastrophic hunger crisis affecting 25 million people across the country. The HAC was given expanded powers to register, monitor and, critics argue, crack down on local and Western aid groups by former leader Omar al-Bashir in 2006, according to aid groups, local relief volunteers and experts. The army-backed government announced last week that it had dislodged RSF fighters from their last bases in Khartoum state, two months after retaking the heart of the capital from the paramilitaries. The city, nonetheless, remains nonetheless devastated with health and sanitation infrastructure barely functioning. The RSF has been battling the SAF for control of Sudan since April 2023. The civil war has killed more than 20,000 people, uprooted 15 million and created what the UN considers the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
CTV News
a day ago
- Health
- CTV News
Cholera outbreak in Sudan capital kills 70 in two days
This is a locator map for Sudan with its capital, Khartoum. (AP Photo) Port Sudan, Sudan — A cholera outbreak in Sudan's war-ravaged capital has claimed 70 lives in two days, health officials said Thursday, as Khartoum faces a mounting health emergency after more than two years of brutal conflict. The health ministry for Khartoum state said it recorded 942 new infections and 25 deaths on Wednesday, following 1,177 cases and 45 deaths on Tuesday. The surge in infections comes weeks after drone strikes blamed on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces knocked out water and electricity supplies across the capital. The city has been a battleground throughout two years of war between the Sudanese army and the RSF. The army-backed government announced last week that it had dislodged RSF fighters from their last bases in Khartoum state two months after retaking the heart of the capital from the paramilitaries. Khartoum remains devastated with health and sanitation infrastructure barely functioning. Up to 90 per cent of hospitals in the conflict's main battlegrounds have been forced out of service by the fighting. The cholera outbreak has piled further pressure on the healthcare system. The federal health ministry reported 172 deaths in the week to Tuesday, 90 per cent of them in Khartoum state. Authorities say 89 per cent of patients in isolation centres are recovering, but warn that deteriorating environmental conditions are driving a surge in cases. UN chief Antonio Guterres's spokesman said Thursday cholera vaccinations have begun in Jebel Awila, the hardest hit district in Khartoum. 'The World Health Organization has also delivered more 22 metric tons of cholera and emergency health supplies to respond to local efforts,' Stephane Dujarric said. 'On the brink' UN humanitarian agency OCHA noted 'significant discrepancies' in official data, 'making it difficult to assess the true scale of the outbreak'. Cholera is endemic to Sudan, but outbreaks have become worse and more frequent since the war broke out. Since August 2024, health authorities have recorded more than 65,000 cases and over 1,700 deaths across 12 of Sudan's 18 states. Khartoum state alone has seen more than 7,700 cases, upwards of 1,000 in children under five, and 185 deaths since January. 'Sudan is on the brink of a full-scale public health disaster,' said Eatizaz Yousif, the International Rescue Committee's Sudan director. 'The combination of conflict, displacement, destroyed critical infrastructure and limited access to clean water is fueling the resurgence of cholera and other deadly diseases.' Aid agencies warn that without urgent action, the spread of disease is likely to worsen with the arrival of the rainy season next month, which severely limits humanitarian access. The war between the paramilitaries and the regular army has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced 13 million since it erupted in April 2023. At least three million people fled Khartoum state alone, but more than 34,000 have returned since its recapture by the army in recent months, according to UN figures. Most have returned to find their homes devastated by the fighting, with no access to clean water or basic services. According to the UN children's agency UNICEF, more than one million children are at risk in cholera-affected areas of Khartoum.
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Business
- Al Jazeera
Sudan reports 70 cholera deaths in Khartoum in two days
A cholera outbreak in Sudan's Khartoum has killed at least 70 people in two days, local health authorities said. The health ministry in Khartoum state reported on Thursday 942 new infections and 25 deaths the previous day, following 1,177 cases and 45 deaths the day before. The outbreak is centred around the capital city, Khartoum, which has been devastated by more than two years of war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The city lost access to water and electricity earlier this month following drone attacks blamed on the RSF. The army-backed government announced last week that it had dislodged RSF fighters from their last bases in Khartoum State, two months after retaking the heart of the capital from the paramilitaries. The city remains devastated with health and sanitation infrastructure barely functioning. According to the federal health ministry, 172 people died of cholera in the week to Tuesday – 90 percent of them in Khartoum state alone. Aid workers say the scale of the outbreak is being worsened by the near-total collapse of health services, with about 90 percent of hospitals in key war zones no longer operational. 'Sudan is on the brink of a full-scale public health disaster,' said Eatizaz Yousif, Sudan country director for the International Rescue Committee. 'The combination of conflict, displacement, destroyed infrastructure, and lack of clean water is fuelling the resurgence of cholera and other deadly diseases,' she told AFP. Since August 2024, Sudan has reported more than 65,000 suspected cholera cases and at least 1,700 deaths across 12 of its 18 states. Khartoum alone has seen 7,700 cases and 185 deaths, including more than 1,000 infections in children under five. The spread of disease is expected to worsen with the upcoming rainy season, which is likely to further restrict humanitarian access. Aid groups warn that unless urgent action is taken, the death toll could soar. According to the United Nations children's agency UNICEF, more than one million children are at risk in cholera-affected areas of Khartoum. 'We are racing against time … to provide basic healthcare, clean water and good nutrition,' said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF's representative in Sudan. 'Each day, more children are exposed to this double threat of cholera and malnutrition.' The war, now in its third year, has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 13 million and created the world's largest displacement and hunger crisis.
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
RSF conduct first drone attack on Port Sudan, says army spokesperson
The conflict between the army and the RSF has unleashed waves of ethnic violence. (AP pic) CAIRO : Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces carried out a drone attack on a military air base and other facilities in the vicinity of Port Sudan Airport, a Sudanese army spokesperson said on Sunday, in the first RSF attack to reach the eastern port city. No casualties were reported from the attacks, the spokesperson said. The RSF has not commented on the incident. The RSF has targeted power stations in army-controlled locations in central and northern Sudan for the past several months but the strikes had not inflicted heavy casualties. The drone attack on Port Sudan indicates a major shift in the two-year conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF. The eastern regions, which shelter a large number of displaced people, had so far avoided bombardment. The army has responded by beefing up its deployment around vital facilities in Port Sudan and has closed roads leading to the presidential palace and army command. Port Sudan, home to the country's primary airport, army headquarters and a seaport, has been perceived as the safest place in the war-ravaged nation. In March, the army ousted the RSF from its last footholds in Khartoum, Sudan's capital, but the paramilitary RSF holds some areas in Omdurman, directly across the Nile River, and has consolidated its position in west Sudan, splitting the nation into rival zones. The conflict between the army and the RSF has unleashed waves of ethnic violence and created what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with several areas plunged into famine. The war erupted in April 2023 amid a power struggle between the army and RSF ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule. It ruined much of Khartoum, uprooted more than 12 million Sudanese from their homes and left about half of the 50 million population suffering from acute hunger. Overall deaths are hard to estimate but a study published last year said the toll may have reached 61,000 in Khartoum state alone in the first 14 months of the conflict.
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Fires at key Sudan fuel depot ‘fully contained', say civil defence forces
The fires were caused by a drone strike on the fuel depot last Monday. (Planet Labs PBC/AP pic) PORT SUDAN : Sudan's civil defence forces said on Sunday they had 'fully contained' fires that erupted at the main fuel depot and other strategic sites in Port Sudan – the seat of the army-backed government which has come under drone attacks blamed on paramilitaries over the past week. In a statement posted on the force's Facebook page, civil defence director Osman Atta said the fires – involving 'large quantities of petroleum reserves' – were brought under control following an intensive operation using 'foam materials' and a 'meticulously executed plan'. The fires caused by a strike on the fuel depot last Monday had spread across 'warehouses filled with fuel', the Sudanese army-aligned authorities said, warning of a 'potential disaster in the area'. The Red Sea port city, which had been seen as a safe haven from the devastating two-year conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, has been hit by daily drone strikes since last Sunday. The long-range attacks have damaged several key facilities, including the country's sole international civilian airport, its largest working fuel depot and the city's main power station. A military source told AFP on condition of anonymity on Saturday that air defences in the towns of Jebeit and Sinkat – around 120km west of Port Sudan – shot down two drones that had been targeting facilities in the area. Witnesses also reported on Sunday drone strikes targeting the airport in Atbara, a city in the northern state of River Nile. Port Sudan is the main entry point for humanitarian aid into Sudan and UN chief Antonio Guterres warned the attacks 'threaten to increase humanitarian needs and further complicate aid operations in the country', his spokesman said. More than two years of fighting have killed tens of thousands of people and uprooted 13 million in what the UN describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
