UN, partners decry deaths, displacements in El Fasher
April 30, 2024 (EL FASHER) – About 29 people were killed in recent attacks on at least 16 villages around El Fasher, the North Darfur State capital, the United Nations and its partners revealed, citing indiscriminate violence, including sexual violence, looting of personal belongings from houses and market areas, razing of residential and commercial structures, rustling of livestock and crop destruction.
The affected villages were predominately within the administrative units of Sarafaya, Birka and Korma, the report said, and that households displaced from affected villages were typically forced to flee with nothing to sustain themselves.
A proportion of those displaced in these attacks were previously displaced from internally displaced persons’ camps in El Fasher in earlier stages of the conflict.
The situation in El Fasher has reportedly continued to deteriorate with frequent armed clashes, aerial bombardments and resulting rounds of displacement. Armed elements reportedly attacked a dozen villages to the west of El Fasher between April 12 -15, raising fears of possible escalation of already dire situation.
According to the UN and its partners, displacement from the affected villages has driven thousands of households towards the villages of Shagra and Golo, Zamzam internally displaced persons’ camp and gathering sites in El Fasher city. In Shagra and Golo, displaced households are reportedly sheltering in multiple large displacement sites in the open, lacking access to food, water as well as shelter.
In some cases, survivors of sexual violence have received assistance to access services at hospital in El Fasher city; however, efforts to identify and provide support to all those who need it are still ongoing. Gathering sites for newly displaced households in Zamzam internally displaced persons’ camp and throughout the southern neighborhoods of El Fasher city were already severely overcrowded before this most recent influx, exacerbating protection risks for already vulnerable displaced populations, and restrictions on movement on key roads out of El Fasher are inhibiting civilians from fleeing to safer areas.
Meanwhile, in response to the escalating fighting in North Darfur, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said it has treated over 100 war wounded patients, including 11 children, many with gunshot wounds at South Hospital, El Fasher, over the past two weeks, but is simultaneously scaling-up its response to the major malnutrition crisis in Zamzam camp, where the situation is becoming even more critical.
Following the devastating results of a rapid nutrition and mortality assessment conducted by MSF in early January, a mass screening of more than 63,000 children under-five, as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women, was reportedly conducted in March and April and confirmed there is a catastrophic and life-threatening malnutrition crisis in Zamzam camp, North Darfur.
Despite having called urgently for support in February when the results of the rapid assessment were published, nearly three months later, MSF remains almost the only international aid agency responding to this enormous crisis – and, as a result, one of the very few able to respond to mass casualty events in El Fasher.
“In Zamzam camp, there is an acute disaster on a catastrophic scale,” says Claire Nicolet, head of MSF’s emergency response in Sudan.
“The situation is critical, the level of suffering is immense, but despite this being known about for nearly three months, nowhere near enough has been done to help those who are struggling to survive. With the fighting escalating, we are extremely worried that it will make it even more difficult for the much-needed international support we have been calling for to arrive. And, with the lean season approaching, we are also worried that there is going to be a rapid deterioration in this already drastic malnutrition crisis over the coming weeks”, she added.
MSF has already scaled-up its response by opening a second health clinic, enrolling over 11,000 children in its nutrition programme, and opening a 35-bed field hospital to treat the most critical cases. Currently, all beds are fully occupied and among the patients are 19 children with severe acute malnutrition and three with suspected measles. MSF is planning to start a vaccination campaign against measles and to expand its activities to provide support for pregnant women. However, this is not enough to meet the needs. Additional health care is not being provided in the camp and it is vital that it is restored as a matter of urgency.
“There is no doubt that there are enormous challenges when it comes to providing humanitarian assistance in Sudan, but it is possible to do it,” stressed Nicolet.
“Restrictions on humanitarian access – including deliberate obstructions on the delivery of aid by the warring parties – have significantly hampered the ability of aid agencies to scale-up the response. Insecurity has as well. But the situation is too critical for these issues to continue being used as excuses. The UN and the wider humanitarian community must do more to negotiate access for UN agencies and international NGOs to come and assist with the response in Zamzam”, she added.
The medical charity urged the warring parties to ensure the protection of civilians, health care structures and staff, so that vital assistance for the tens of thousands of people whose lives are at-risk can be effectively provided before it is too late.
(ST)