Violent clashes renewed on Friday between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, raising fears of a large-scale attack on the city.
“I am gravely concerned by the eruption of clashes in El Fasher despite repeated calls to parties to the conflict to refrain from attacking the city,” said Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan.
In a Saturday statement seen by Radio Tamazuj, Clementine warned that the violence threatens the lives of over 800,000 civilians who reside in the town of El Fasher.
The humanitarian coordinator said she is disturbed by reports of the use of heavy weaponry and attacks in highly populated areas in the city center and the outskirts of El Fasher, resulting in multiple casualties.
“Wounded civilians are being rushed to El Fasher Hospital. Civilians trying to flee are trapped in fierce fighting,” she said.
Already months of escalating violence around the city has hampered the sustained flow of aid and basic commodities, pushing people to the brink of famine. The capacity of health facilities is severely depleted.
“It is heartbreaking to see this nightmare unfolding – conflict continuing to spread engulfing large parts of the country. And again, civilians – men, women, and children, paying the highest prices – their lives,” the statement reads in part.
The humanitarian coordinator called on all parties engaged in the fighting to uphold their international law obligations to protect civilians, and stop the fighting in El Fasher.
“Violent clashes erupted between the Sudanese army and Rapid Support Forces with heavy weapons and artillery,” the El-Fasher Resistance Committee said in a statement on Friday.
The statement pointed out that “heavy artillery shells fell randomly on citizens’ houses, leading to several injuries.”
The Sudanese army and the RSF could not be reached for comment.
El Fasher is the capital of North Darfur State, the centre of the western region of Darfur, and the only city that has not fallen into the hands of the RSF.