Hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped amid an escalation of fighting in El Fasher, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur state, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.
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“With fighters pushing further into the city and escape routes cut off, hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped and terrified – shelled, starving and without access to food, healthcare, or safety,” said UN emergency relief coordinator Tom Fletcher on Sunday.
Fletcher said he was “deeply alarmed by reports of civilian casualties and forced displacement”, calling for “an immediate ceasefire in El Fasher, across Darfur and throughout Sudan”.
“Civilians must be allowed safe passage and be able to access aid. Those fleeing to safer areas must be allowed to do so safely and in dignity. Those who stay – including local responders – must be protected. Attacks on civilians, hospitals and humanitarian operations must stop immediately.”
According to UN estimates, around 300,000 people are living in desperate conditions in El Fasher, which has been cut off for more than a year.
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The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have taken El Fasher, the last government-controlled city in the Darfur region, according to its own statements.