UNITED NATIONS - UN humanitarians on Friday reported a deteriorating situation in and around Al Fasher, the capital of Sudan's North Darfur state, since the outbreak of deadly armed clashes two weeks ago.
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Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, including the use of heavy weaponry in densely populated areas, reportedly has caused hundreds of civilian casualties and forced thousands of people to flee their homes, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The humanitarians said that in Al Fasher South Hospital, the only working hospital in the state, only around 10 days of supplies are left, and there is an urgent need to restock the hospital. Humanitarians are trying to reach the city, but the current security situation makes this impossible
The office said its health partners reported 85 people killed and at least 700 civilians injured since May 10 in the capital and surrounding area, home to an estimated 800,000 people.
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OCHA said the International Organization for Migration reported that at least 1,250 people, or 250 households, were displaced from their homes just this week. However, due to communications disruptions and access challenges, these figures are believed to be underestimated and likely to increase.
"Humanitarian partners have received reports that basic necessities, including water, are out of reach for a growing share of the population in Al Fasher due to the ongoing fighting," OCHA said. "Key roads out of the city are either blocked, subject to significant barriers, or unsafe due to the presence and activities of armed groups."
The humanitarians said that in Al Fasher South Hospital, the only working hospital in the state, only around 10 days of supplies are left, and there is an urgent need to restock the hospital. Humanitarians are trying to reach the city, but the current security situation makes this impossible.
OCHA said more than a dozen trucks carrying aid for more than 121,000 people have been trying to reach Al Fasher for over a month.
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"Looking at the wider Darfur region, despite insecurity and severe access constraints, a World Food Programme convoy of trucks carrying 1,200 metric tons of food and nutrition supplies for some 117,000 people was able to cross into North Darfur on Thursday from Chad, via the Tine crossing," OCHA said. "It is critical that these trucks are allowed to safely and directly continue to their final destinations in Central and South Darfur."
OCHA said that while the WFP effort is welcome, it is not enough.
"In order to stave off famine -- in Darfur and across Sudan - we need all cross-border and cross-line routes to be open," the office said.