North Darfur death toll climbs as health crisis worsens amid ongoing conflict

June 18, 2024 (EL-FASHER), – The humanitarian crisis in North Darfur continues to worsen as the death toll and number of injuries rise following weeks of fierce fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), allied groups, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The Director General of the Ministry of Health in North Darfur, Ibrahim Abdallah Khater, told Sudan Tribune that at least 346 people have been killed and 2,182 injured since the conflict erupted on May 10th. Khater warned that these figures are likely underestimates, as many casualties in outlying areas and recent clashes in the Al-Nasr and Abu Shouk neighbourhoods remain unaccounted for.

The relentless violence has displaced thousands of civilians from El-Fasher, the state capital, and overwhelmed local hospitals struggling with severe shortages of essential medicines and supplies. While the military has airdropped some aid, Khater described the situation as “extremely complex,” emphasizing the urgent need for food, water, medical aid, and protection for the vulnerable population.

He further condemned the RSF’s indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas, including residential neighbourhoods, shelters, markets, and hospitals, as a major contributing factor to the dire humanitarian situation.

International pressure is mounting to end the fighting in El-Fasher, a historic city that now shelters an estimated 800,000 internally displaced people from across the Darfur region, which is largely under RSF control. The ongoing conflict threatens to exacerbate the already dire humanitarian conditions in Darfur, raising concerns of widespread famine and disease.