The UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Saturday that the UN chief is “gravely alarmed” at the full-scale assault on the city of El Fasher by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan, stating that the warring parties’ disregard for ceasefire calls is unconscionable.
The conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April 2023 has created the world’s largest internal displacement crisis during which over 10 million people have been displaced from their homes, including 2 million who are seeking refuge in neighboring countries. As the provincial capital of North Darfur, El Fasher has been a focal point of Sudan’s conflict, and the humanitarian situation there has steadily worsened, with over 700,000 internally displaced persons at immediate risk. Additionally, women and children are facing grave threats amid deteriorating access to health care and widespread food insecurity.
According to the charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), 30 percent of the more than 46,000 children who were screened at the Zamzam displaced persons camp were found to be suffering from acute malnutrition, with eight percent having severe acute malnutrition (SAM), which indicated that there is a “massive, life-threatening emergency.” Joyce Msuya, acting UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, stated that the latest screening by MSF between September 1 and 5 showed that “[t]he situation is being compounded by almost impassable obstacles to delivering humanitarian relief.” “Since May, roads into Zamzam and El Fasher have been rendered inaccessible by fighting around the city, and more recently by damage caused by heavy rains and floods,” said Msuya.
In August, UNCHR urged action after famine conditions were confirmed in North Darfur’s Zamzam camp where “nearly 26 million people are struggling to put enough food on their plates every single day”. Last week, the UN issued a dire warning about the worsening crisis in Sudan and emphasized the devastating impact of ongoing conflict and the inadequate international response.
On Thursday, Martha Pobee, assistant secretary-general for Africa at the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), pointed out that both the SAF and the RSF continue to flout international humanitarian and human rights laws. “Violations include summary executions, abductions, and enforced disappearances, arbitrary and incommunicado detention of civilians by both parties, subjecting many to torture and other human rights violations,” she said. Clementine Nkweta-Salami, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, stated on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that the end of the war in Sudan is a very distant dream, and “the 16-month conflict has left the country in ruins”.
According to Dujarric, a ceasefire is an urgent imperative both in El Fasher and across all other conflict zones in Sudan. He also asserted that humanitarian organizations stand ready to rapidly scale up assistance in El Fasher and other areas of need across Sudan.
In addition, further recommendations on protecting civilians from Security Council resolution 2736 (2024) are being developed, which are likely to be presented in October.
