Sudan: UN warnings of escalating violence in the city of El Fasher

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The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, warned yesterday, Friday, of the escalation of violence in the city of El Fasher, western Sudan, according to a statement published by the United Nations on its electronic account.

“We are horrified by the escalation of violence in El Fasher, and its devastating impact on the lives of civilians,” Turk said.

Turk made separate phone calls last Tuesday with Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, Commander of the Sudanese Army, and Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), Commander of the Rapid Support Forces, and urged them to act immediately and publicly to calm the situation, according to statements by the Commission’s spokeswoman. High Commissioner for Human Rights Ravina Shamdasani.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights also warned both sides of the conflict that “the fighting in El Fasher, where more than 1.8 million residents and internally displaced persons are currently trapped and at imminent risk of famine, will have a catastrophic impact on the lives of civilians, and will lead to a deepening of sectarian conflict with humanitarian consequences.” "Disastrous."

Since early April, El Fasher has witnessed clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, which launched massive attacks on villages west of the city.

El Fasher, the center of North Darfur state, the capital of the Darfur region consisting of 5 states, its largest city, and the only one among the centers of the other states of the region that did not fall to the Rapid Support Forces in their armed conflict against the Sudanese army.

UN and international calls have increased to spare the country a humanitarian catastrophe that could push millions to famine and death due to food shortages due to the fighting that has spread to 12 out of 18 states.

Since mid-April 2023, the Sudanese army, led by the head of the Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo (Hemedti), have been waging a war that has left about 15,000 dead and more than 8 million displaced and refugees, according to the United Nations.