Death toll rises to 220 in Sudan crises

Fighting in El-Fasher, the last city in Darfur not controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has killed over 220 people, according to a medical charity.

El-Fasher has emerged as a key battleground in the ongoing conflict that has ravaged Sudan for nearly a year, with the country’s military forces clashing with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, the former deputy commander.

The battle for the city, seen as crucial for humanitarian aid in a region on the brink of famine, has raged for more than a month.

The charity Medicins Sans Frontiers (MSF) said fighting in El-Fasher had killed at least 226 people and wounded 1,418.

The overall death toll is thought to be far higher, however, with casualties unable to get treatment amid ongoing air strikes, shelling and ground combat.

“The situation in El-Fasher is chaotic,” said Michel-Olivier Lacharite, head of MSF’s emergency programme.

Complicating matters, the closure of Southern Hospital, originally a maternity facility, has forced people to seek treatment at the Saudi Hospital.

Intense fighting for El-Fasher erupted on May 10, prompting a siege by the RSF that has trapped hundreds of thousands of civilians.

On Thursday, the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an end to the siege.

According to the United Nations, the capital city of West Darfur, El-Geneina, has witnessed significant loss of life, with estimates suggesting that between 10,000 to 15,000 people have lost their lives

The ongoing conflict in Sudan, which erupted in April 2023, has led to devastating consequences, resulting in tens of thousands of fatalities and the displacement of over nine million individuals, as reported by the United Nations. The conflict originated from a power struggle between Sudan’s army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Daglo.

The United Nations Security Council has issued a new resolution demanding an immediate end to hostilities in Sudan, unfettered humanitarian access, and adherence to the arms embargo. This latest call to action follows a previous attempt in March, during Ramadan.

AFP