More than 3,400 displaced people have arrived in Tawila in Sudan’s North Darfur state since the beginning of September, as worsening shortages of food, clean water, medicine and shelter put growing pressure on the town.
The General Coordination of Displaced Persons and Refugees in Darfur said 121 families, comprising about 605 people, reached Tawila on September 21 and 22 alone.
Their arrival brought the total number of people displaced to the area since the start of the month to about 3,407 from 634 families, according to the group.
Spokesperson Adam Rijal said most of the latest arrivals were women, children and elderly people, with some families forced to flee more than three times before eventually reaching Tawila.
They had come from several areas of North Darfur, including Tora, Dar al-Salam, Dar Sumayat, Aluna and Kafoud.
The group said newly displaced families were facing severe shortages of food, medicines, clean drinking water, shelter and healthcare, while cases of malnutrition had been reported among women and children.
Poor sanitation is adding to the risks. The coordination warned that a shortage of toilets and other sanitation facilities was forcing some displaced families to relieve themselves in the open, increasing the danger of waterborne diseases including acute diarrhoea, cholera and typhoid.
It called for urgent humanitarian assistance, including food, drinking water, medicines, shelter and sanitation facilities, as well as protection and psychological support for women and children.
The latest figures point to a rapidly accelerating influx into Tawila. The same coordination group said on September 19 that around 2,305 displaced people had reached the town since the beginning of the month, meaning the reported total has risen by more than 1,100 people in just four days.
Tawila has become an important destination for civilians fleeing conflict and worsening humanitarian conditions elsewhere in Darfur, but repeated waves of displacement have placed severe pressure on already stretched services and aid supplies.
