NEW YORK CITY: The UN on Monday urged warring military faction the Rapid Support Forces to allow civilians in Sudan to flee the besieged city of El-Fasher, and to grant safe passage for humanitarian aid. Intensified fighting has left thousands trapped in life-threatening conditions, it warned.
Denise Brown, the UN’s resident and humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, said the UN had received “multiple reports of intensification of fighting in El-Fasher” over the past 24 hours, though she could not confirm claims that the RSF had taken full control of the city.
“The RSF needs to demonstrate respect for international humanitarian law and let those people leave. Alternatively, they need to let us in,” she added.
Several hundred people arrived on Sunday near Tawila, a humanitarian hub about 50 kilometers west of El-Fasher, after a perilous journey marked by militia roadblocks and ransom demands, Brown said. Many were dehydrated, malnourished, injured and traumatized.
“Civilians remain in El-Fasher and continue to try to flee but the roads they are taking are unsafe,” she added. “Those who arrive are deeply affected not only by that journey but also by the conditions inside El-Fasher.”
