October 18, Nairobi — In El Fasher, capital of North Darfur State, hundreds of civilians and have been killed and injured over the past six weeks due to intense fighting between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudanese army. The RSF has been continuously shelling the city.
Now, residents have begun burying the dead in mass graves. Many cemeteries are full or out of service, civilians told Darfur24. This month alone, 80 civilians have been killed in the fighting and over 500 have been injured, the director general of the Ministry of Health in North Darfur State told the Sudan Tribune.
One worker at the Abu Shouk cemetery told Darfur24 that they receive large numbers of bodies, many of which are dismembered.
The fighting has also decimated El Fasher’s medical services. There is a severe shortage of medicine and staff. Around 2.8 million people in and around El Fasher currently have no option to escape or to access assistance, said a group of non-government organisations (NGOs) working in Sudan.
El Fasher is the last city in Darfur in the hands of the Sudanese army. The RSF are fighting intensely to take it over and launched a new offensive in late September. Earlier this month, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, voiced deep concern over the siege of El Fasher which is putting the lives of thousands of children at risk.
The UN has also tried to sound the alarm about the “growing horrific toll on civilians” in El Fasher’s Abu Shouk refugee camp and the nearby Zamzam camp.
Previously El Fasher was a key humanitarian hub for civilians fleeing other areas in Sudan. Now, it is on the brink of collapse and many displaced people are being forced to flee again.