Thu Sep 19 07:27:40 UTC 2024: ## Sudan’s El Fasher Escalation Risks Catastrophe: UN Warns of Atrocities and Famine
**UNITED NATIONS, NY –** The UN has issued a stark warning about the deteriorating situation in Sudan, highlighting a dangerous escalation in fighting in El Fasher and the growing risk of atrocities and famine across the country.
The escalating conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), along with their allied militias, has resulted in widespread human rights violations, including summary executions, abductions, torture, and the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. The UN has expressed deep concern over the shrinking civic space, ethnically motivated attacks, and hate speech.
El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, has become a focal point of the conflict, with intense shelling and airstrikes devastating hospitals and civilian infrastructure. Over 700,000 internally displaced persons are at immediate risk, with access to healthcare and food becoming increasingly limited.
Famine has been declared in Zamzam, a camp hosting around half a million people on the outskirts of El Fasher, and 13 other localities in North Darfur are at risk. The humanitarian situation is worsening, with children particularly vulnerable. According to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), a child is dying every two hours in Zamzam, and 34% of children in the camp are malnourished, including 10% severely malnourished.
The UN highlighted the significant obstacles to delivering humanitarian aid, with fighting and recent floods making access to El Fasher and Zamzam nearly impossible. Despite the dire conditions, humanitarian efforts continue, but the UN warned that without a ceasefire and safe access, a dramatic spike in mortality, particularly among children, is inevitable.
On the political front, the UN is actively engaging with belligerent parties to halt the violence. The UN Personal Envoy for Sudan has been involved in talks in Geneva and is supporting mediation efforts by the US, Saudi Arabia, and Switzerland. The Security Council has called for further recommendations on civilian protection, which are expected in October.
The UN emphasized that while the Sudanese government bears primary responsibility for protecting civilians, all warring parties are obligated to respect international human rights and humanitarian law. The RSF’s unilateral commitments to strengthen civilian protection, made during the Geneva talks, need to be implemented without delay.
A ceasefire, the UN concluded, would be the most effective way to protect civilians in El Fasher and across Sudan. The international community is urged to act swiftly to prevent further catastrophe in Sudan.
First Piper 