Darfur, Sudan– Aid organizations sounding the alarm over a devastating situation in the city of El Fasher.
Four days of fierce combat between the Sudanese army and a rival paramilitary group have escalated to critical levels, with civilians bearing the brunt of the conflict.
Claire Nicolet, leading emergency response efforts for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), described the clashes as “dramatic and primarily harmful to civilians.” The ongoing conflict has severely disrupted essential supplies to the city and surrounding refugee camps, complicating relief efforts.
“One of the main issues was supply, specifically food, and prices are completely crazy. Unfortunately, with the current situation, moving trucks around will be even more difficult,” Nicolet stated. She expressed deep concern over logistical challenges and skyrocketing costs of basic necessities, becoming unaffordable for many.
The situation is dire, with Nicolet warning that continued fighting could lead to malnutrition affecting between two to three million people. “Already the nutrition situation was catastrophic,” she explained. “You can unfortunately imagine that if the current situation continues, we will see lots of deaths, unfortunately.”
Aid agencies like MSF are urgently calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the establishment of secure humanitarian corridors to facilitate aid delivery. The international community is also urged to step up support to prevent what could potentially become one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent history.
