LONDON — At least 134 people have been killed and another 979 have been wounded since May 10 as fighting intensifies between Sudan’s military and a powerful Sudanese paramilitary force in a major city of the country’s northwestern Darfur region, according to an international aid group.
Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French acronym MSF, said Sunday that the casualties were all recorded at a single hospital in el-Fasher, the provincial capital of Sudan’s North Darfur state. South Hospital is currently the last functioning medical center in North Darfur and only has around 10 days of supplies left, according to the aid group.
MSF said one of its staff members was among those killed when shelling hit his home near el-Fasher’s main marketplace.
Civilians with a range of injuries are arriving in droves at South Hospital in el-Fasher, according to MSF.
“Some have gunshot wounds, some have been wounded by bomb fragments, and others have been wounded by shelling,” Claire Nicolet, MSF’s head of emergency programs, said in a statement last Tuesday.
Internally displaced women wait in a queue to collect aid from a group at a camp in Gadaref on May 12, 2024.
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An estimated 505,000 people have been displaced from their homes in North Darfur since clashes escalated earlier this month between the official Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to the United Nations.
“Reports from el-Fasher in Sudan are terrible: deadly attacks on civilians, horrifying accounts of ethnic targeting, people too fearful of checkpoints to even flee,” U.N. High Commissioner of Refugees Filippo Grandi said in a statement last Thursday. “Deliberate violence on civilians must stop.”
A report released last week by the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab found “significant new conflict–related damage to the northeastern, eastern, and southeastern neighborhoods” from May 14 to May 20, as RSF forces gained control in “several directions.”
Internally displaced women register to collect aid from a group at a camp in Gadaref on May 12, 2024.
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The SAF and the RSF, as well as their allied militias, have been locked in a bitter battle for control of the resource-rich North African nation since April 2023. The fighting first erupted on the streets of Sudan’s densely populated capital, Khartoum, before spreading elsewhere across the country.
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El-Fasher is the last major city in Darfur still in the hands of the SAF. The besieged city is a key humanitarian hub and “safe haven” to an estimated 800,000 people, according to the U.N.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last Thursday that hostilities have entered an “alarming new chapter” with the humanitarian situation “rapidly deteriorating.”
During last Friday’s U.N. Security Council meeting on the situation in Sudan, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield warned that “history is repeating itself” and “there is no time to waste,” citing the RSF’s tightened siege on el-Fasher and the SAF’s continued obstruction of aid.
“The people of Sudan have endured immense suffering at the hands of the warring parties who continue to plunge the country into a spiral of death and despair,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “Five million Sudanese are on the brink of famine, and tens of millions more are in desperate need of food.”
Aid group reports escalation of violence in major Sudanese city resulting in over 130 deaths in 2 weeks
The situation in Sudan has taken a turn for the worse as an aid group reports an alarming escalation of violence in a major Sudanese city, resulting in over 130 deaths in just two weeks. The violence, which has been described as “unprecedented” by the aid group, has left the city in a state of chaos and fear.
The aid group, which has been working on the ground in Sudan for years, has reported that the violence is primarily being carried out by armed groups who are targeting civilians indiscriminately. The attacks have been brutal and ruthless, with reports of mass killings, rapes, and looting.
The escalation of violence has been attributed to a number of factors, including political instability, ethnic tensions, and competition for resources. The aid group has called on the international community to take immediate action to address the crisis and prevent further loss of life.
The situation in Sudan is deeply concerning and requires urgent attention. The aid group is working tirelessly to provide assistance to those affected by the violence, but they are struggling to keep up with the growing needs of the population.
The international community must step in to help bring an end to the violence and ensure that those responsible are held accountable for their actions. It is crucial that all parties involved in the conflict come together to find a peaceful resolution and prevent further bloodshed.
As the death toll continues to rise, it is clear that urgent action is needed to address the crisis in Sudan. The aid group is calling on governments, humanitarian organizations, and individuals around the world to stand in solidarity with the people of Sudan and support efforts to bring peace and stability to the region.
In the face of such senseless violence and suffering, it is imperative that we come together as a global community to support those in need and work towards a more peaceful and just world. The people of Sudan deserve our solidarity and our support in their time of need.
