UN condemns ‘indiscriminate attacks’ on North Darfur hospital, homes, market

The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, has condemned attacks at a hospital, residential areas, and a livestock market in El Fasher, capital of North Darfur, which reportedly killed or injured at least 97 civilians.

In a statement yesterday, Nkweta-Salami says she is “deeply saddened by these horrific attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure such as hospitals, apartments, and markets”.

She underscores that civilian infrastructures should never be a target and are protected under the international humanitarian law.

“The United Nations in Sudan strongly condemns these indiscriminate attacks and extends our deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones.”

As reported elsewhere today by Radio Dabanga, the acting Wali (governor) of North Darfur, El Hafiz Bakheet, described what has been happening in El Fasher since Saturday, which has seen shells fall on public buildings, hospitals, and mosques, as “a true massacre”.

The incident in the North Darfur capital caught many civilians by surprise as the city had experienced relative calm for about two weeks, enabling markets to reopen and many families to resume their livelihoods. Resumption of livelihoods and other economic activities, unimpeded humanitarian access, and upscaling of humanitarian funding are critical for Sudan to avert the looming threat of famine.

The country faces the worst levels of acute food insecurity in its history, with more than half of its population – 25.6 million people – in acute hunger. More than 8.5 million people face emergency levels of hunger (IPC 4), while more than 755,000 people are in catastrophic conditions (IPC 5) in Greater Darfur, South and North Kordofan, Blue Nile state, El Gezira, and Khartoum.

More than 18,800 people have been killed and over 33,000 injured since the conflict broke out in April 2023, according to humanitarian partners. Over 10 million people have fled their homes, and this includes more than 5 million children – and over two  million people who have crossed into neighbouring countries, the UN statement notes.

“At this moment when partners are racing against time and are doing everything they can to stave off a large-scale humanitarian catastrophe, I call on parties to stop the fight and to do everything possible to protect civilians, allow them free movement and to go about their daily lives,” said Nkweta-Salami.

Despite limited funding and a challenging operating environment, humanitarian partners are on the ground and have reached over 7.1 million people with some form of humanitarian assistance between January and May. But this is not enough, “I am urging donors to urgently step up to disburse their commitments and identify new funding if humanitarians are to stand a chance at preventing a large-scale famine from taking hold,” added Nkweta-Salami More than halfway through the year, the Sudan humanitarian appeal, which is seeking $2.7 billion, is just 32 percent funded.