Sudan - Recent

People in Sudan's North Darfur region are facing acute food and medical supply shortages, as fierce clashes in May between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in El Fasher, capital city of North Darfur State.

According to the State Ministry of Health in North Darfur, the recent escalation of conflict in El Fasher has resulted in the deaths of around 750 civilians, with over 4,700 injured.

Currently 800,000 people are trapped in El Fasher. Humanitarian aid cannot enter the city, leading to an extreme shortage of food, medicine and other supplies, according to World Health Organization.

"We have nothing to eat or drink. We have nothing to our name and many people are sick.We can't do anything and are living in misery," said Amna Alhadi, a resident from El Fasher.

The conflict in the Darfur region has displaced over 4 million people in the past year. Many of these displaced individuals now reside in dozens of local refugee camps, where conditions are extremely challenging. The camps have limited facilities and are overcrowded, plagued by issues such as garbage accumulation, mosquitoes, and shortage of food and clean drinking water.

"Some people have leftover food, others go to their neighbors to share food with them, and others are starving because they have no food," said Yousri Ismail, a refugee.

The health care system in El Fasher is also on the brink of collapse, with all medical facilities having stopped operating except for one hospital and four primary health care centers. Outbreaks of infectious diseases such as cholera and diarrhea have started to spread within some of the refugee camps.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has warned that as the armed conflict continues, the humanitarian situation in Sudan will deteriorate even more.

"I call on both sides of the conflict to stop the war and open corridors so that humanitarian aid can enter the camps of the displaced to save Sudanese people," said Afaf Issa, a relief worker.

Sudan has been engulfed in a deadly conflict between the SAF and the RSF since April 2023, resulting in the loss of at least 16,650 lives, according to an update by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in June.

Data published by the UN International Organization for Migration in June showed that more than 7.7 million individuals had been internally displaced within Sudan since the conflict began, with approximately 2.2 million others seeking refuge in neighboring countries.

SHOTLIST:
FILE: Sudan - Date Unknown
1. Various of tents, refugees;

El Fasher, Sudan - Recent
2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Amna Alhadi, local resident:
"We have nothing to eat or drink. We have nothing to our name and many people are sick.We can't do anything and are living in misery.";

FILE: Sudan - Date Unknown
3. Various of refugees fleeing;
4. Various of tents, refugees;

El Fasher, Sudan - Recent
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Yousri Ismail, refugee (ending with shot 6):
"Some people have leftover food, others go to their neighbors to share food with them, and others are starving because they have no food.";

FILE: Sudan - Date Unknown
6. Various of refugees, children;
7. Various of doctors, pharmacy;
8. Refugee center;

Sudan - Recent
9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Afaf Issa, relief worker:
"I call on both sides of the conflict to stop the war and open corridors so that humanitarian aid can enter the camps of the displaced to save Sudanese people.";

FILE: Sudan - Date Unknown
10. Various of refugees lining up for supplies;
11. Tents, refugees.

[RESTRICTIONS: No access Chinese mainland/Al-Arabiya TV/Middle East Broadcasting Center]