Heavy gunfire in North Darfur capital

EL FASHER – May 23, 2023

The army and the RSF exchanged heavy gunfire and shelling in El Fasher, capital of North Darfur, from Sunday evening until yesterday morning. The healthcare situation is worrying and local residents lament the “outrageous high prices of food”.

Etemad Hasan told Radio Dabanga that shells landed in a number of houses in the eastern neighbourhoods of the town, where the RSF have taken up base, without causing any casualties.

She said that all roads leading to the El Fasher Grand Market are closed.

El Fasher witnessed a relative calm as a civilian-brokered truce held for roughly three weeks. Intense fighting, however, erupted two weeks ago and journalists in the town spoke of a “disturbing increase in crime, looting, and systematic killing”.

Governor of the Darfur region Minni Minawi brought his troops back to El Fasher from Khartoum not long before the clashes erupted. The Sudan Liberation Movement faction led by Minawi was among the five rebel movements, all signatories of the Juba Peace Agreement, who formed a joint force in El Fasher at the end of April to improve the security situation.

Health services

The lack of medicine, electricity, and water impedes the provision of health services. Health cadres called on the governor of the region to intervene and provide medical aid.

The director of the dialysis centre in the city said that the centre is threatened with closure due to the lack of medicine and appealed to the governor to speed up deliveries and provide treatment.

Civilians complained about the “outrageous high prices of food”. The prices of fuel are soaring on the black market as well as the petrol stations are closed.