Children whose families fled El Fasher attend school in Tawil. Sudan: agreements reached on humanitarian access to El Fasher Humanitarian assistance
In the Sudanese city of El Fasher, which is cut off from supplies of vital goods and services, tens of thousands of people are believed to remain “trapped” – without access to assistance. However, UN humanitarian agencies say they will soon be able to gain access to the North Darfur capital.
According to representatives of humanitarian agencies, the situation in El Fasher “goes beyond horrifying.” “We know there could be between 70,000 and 100,000 people left in the city, essentially trapped inside,” said Ross Smith, the World Food Program’s (WFP) emergencies director.
The Rapid Reaction Force, which has been at war with Sudan’s armed forces since April 2023, captured El Fasher in October after a 500-day siege. During the siege, people were forced to eat peanut husks and animal feed, the UN Human Rights Office previously warned. Satellite images showed a bloody trail of massacres of civilians and ethnic executions.
Humanitarian access
UN humanitarian agencies stress that ensuring access to El Fasher remains a top priority. At the same time, communications blackouts have effectively left its residents without the ability to contact people from the outside.
Sudanese who fled the city describe “mass killings, burned bodies and abandoned markets,” Smith noted. also:
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“As I understand it, based on the results of yesterday’s discussions, we have an agreement in principle with the SBR on the minimum conditions for access to the city. Therefore, we expect to conduct an initial assessment and reconnaissance of the situation in the near future. After more than a year and a half of siege, vital resources were completely destroyed,” he added. ammunition.
Many made it to Tawila, a once small desert town that had now grown into a “huge settlement” of more than 650 thousand people – comparable to the population of Luxembourg. Others have taken refuge in the Northern State town of Ed Debba.
Aid convoys supported by WFP are “already on their way to Tawila with enough supplies for 700,000 people for the next month,” Smith said.
“These families endured months of hunger and mass crime. They now live in overcrowded conditions and receive extremely limited assistance. Shelter is insufficient and many are forced to live in primitive structures made of grass and straw. Cholera and other diseases are spreading widely,” he stressed.
12 million people have fled their homes
The world’s largest humanitarian crisis of forced displacement continues in Sudan. Thus, more than 12 million people fled from their homes – across borders or to other regions of the country.
Meanwhile, on Friday, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported a deterioration in the security situation in the Kordofan region since December 1. After a week of intense fighting, the RRF have reportedly captured the Sudanese army base in Babanus, Western Kordofan.
In Southern Kordofan, civilians remain besieged in towns including Kadugli and Dilling. Women, children and elderly people are looking for ways to escape. “Men and youth often remain behind due to the increased risks they face along the way, including detention by armed groups on suspicion of links to one of the parties to the conflict,” UNHCR said.
The latest figures indicate that more than 40,000 people have fled the affected areas of North Kordofan since 18 November. “UNHCR, with the support of partners, is providing emergency assistance to displaced people, but access remains difficult and resources are extremely limited,” the Office emphasized.