By Vibhu Mishra
30 April
2025
In a statement
issued by his Spokesperson on Wednesday, UN Secretary-General
António Guterres said he was
“appalled” by the deteriorating situation in North
Darfur, where the regional capital, El Fasher, is
under intense and sustained attack.
The onslaught
comes just two weeks after deadly
assaults on the nearby Zamzam and Abu Shouk displacement
camps, where hundreds of civilians, including
humanitarian workers, were reportedly
killed.
Mass displacement
More
than 400,000 people have fled Zamzam camp alone, with
the majority now seeking safety in Tawila, west of El
Fasher.
There are also increasing reports of
harassment, intimidation and arbitrary detention of
displaced people at checkpoints, adding to the already dire
humanitarian emergency.
“With the conflict now
in its third year and increasingly destabilizing the broader
region, the Secretary-General reiterates his call
for the facilitation of safe and unhindered humanitarian
access to all areas of need by all necessary
routes,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric
said.
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He also called for the protection of civilians,
in line with the warring parties’ clear obligations under
international humanitarian law.
Accountability
is paramount
“Perpetrators of
serious violations must be held accountable,” Mr.
Dujarric stressed.
The civil war
between rival militaries – the national Sudanese Armed
Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF)
and allied militias – has claimed tens of thousands of
lives and driven more than 12.7 million people from their
homes, including nearly four million as refugees in
neighbouring countries.
Violence and insecurity has
also sparked a catastrophic hunger crisis, with over half
the population suffering acute food insecurity and famine
conditions confirmed in various regions, leaving millions at
risk of starvation.
Emergency response
underway in Tawila
Despite the escalating
violence and dwindling funds, humanitarian agencies continue
their efforts to deliver lifesaving aid.
The UN relief
coordination office, OCHA,
reported on Wednesday that an inter-agency convoy led by UN
Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator Antoine Gérard crossed into
Darfur from Chad earlier this week via the Adré border, en
route to Tawila.
The convoy is transporting critical
supplies including nutrition and medical items, dignity
kits, and other essential goods.
Food and nutrition
assistance for approximately 220,000 people has already
reached Tawila, with the UN World Food Programme (WFP) confirming that
distributions began this week and are already 20 per cent
complete.
Additional convoys are in motion, including
one expected to depart Chad on Wednesday with 19 trucks of
nutrition supplies.
Aid reaches capital
Khartoum
WFP has begun the first food
distributions in the centre of the capital Khartoum since
the conflict erupted two years ago.
Deliveries of 70
metric tonnes of food to the Burri neighbourhood are set to
begin on Thursday, attempting to reach nearly 8,000
people.
Aid distributions have also started in
Alazhari, one of the areas at high risk of famine, where
20,000 people are receiving assistance.
Despite these
efforts, WFP warned that the impending rainy season and
severe funding shortfalls could undermine recent
progress.
The agency, which assists about four million
people monthly, aims to expand coverage to seven million –
but that still represents only a fraction of those in
need.
