UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep alarm Wednesday regarding the “increasingly catastrophic” situation in Sudan’s North Darfur, where deadly violence and mass displacement are escalating.
He stated hisappall at the ongoing deadly attacks on Al Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, occurring just two weeks after an assault on the Zamzam and Abu Shouk displacement camps that reportedly killed hundreds of civilians, including humanitarian workers.
An estimated 400,000 people were forced to flee the Zamzam camp earlier this month, according to a statement from his spokesperson.
Guterres is also “deeply concerned by reports of harassment, intimidation and arbitrary detention of displaced people at checkpoints.”
Despite significant insecurity and funding shortages, UN agencies and humanitarian partners are working to urgently increase emergency support in the Tawila area, which is hosting the majority of those displaced.
The UN chief emphasized that “the scale of needs is overwhelming,” with “desperate people – mostly women and children – crossing the border into Chad in search of safety and assistance.”
As the crisis enters its third year and destabilizes the broader region, Guterres renewed his demand for “safe and unhindered humanitarian access” and stressed the necessity of holding “perpetrators of serious violations accountable.”
He urged the international community to act swiftly to help end the “relentless suffering and destruction.”
El-Fasher has been the site of deadly clashes between the General Abdel Fattah al Burhan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since last May, despite international warnings about the consequences of fighting in the city, a crucial hub for humanitarian operations across the five Darfur states.
Earlier this month, the RSF claimed control of the Zamzam refugee camp after clashes with the army.
Since April 15, 2023, the conflict has caused thousands of deaths and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with over 20,000 reported killed and 15 million displaced, according to the UN and local authorities, though US scholars estimate the death toll to be around 130,000.
