Around 800,000 residents of a city in Sudan face severe and immediate threats as escalating violence could provoke widespread conflict across Darfur, senior U.N. officials informed the Security Council on Friday.
The conflict has been ongoing for a year in Sudan between the Sudanese army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, resulting in a major displacement crisis.
Rosemary DiCarlo, U.N. political affairs chief, reported to the Security Council that fighting was approaching El Fasher, North Darfur’s capital.
DiCarlo emphasized that combat in El Fasher might spark extensive communal violence in Darfur, reinforcing a recent caution from U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Currently, nearly 25 million people in Sudan require assistance, and around 8 million have been displaced, according to U.N. data.
Edem Wosornu, the U.N. aid operations director, highlighted the immediate risk to El Fasher’s civilians and the potential for extended conflict in Darfur, where over 9 million need urgent humanitarian help.
A global food security authority supported by the United Nations recently urged swift measures to prevent a severe hunger crisis in Sudan.
At a recent Paris conference, donors committed over $2 billion to assist war-affected Sudan.
