UN warns of 'alarming reports' of escalation in North Darfur

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - The UN on Friday issued a stark warning on the escalating situation in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur in Sudan, saying the area is "already on the brink of famine."

"We are receiving increasingly alarming reports of a dramatic escalation of tensions between armed actors in El Fasher, North Darfur," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

Dujarric said the paramilitary "Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are reportedly encircling El Fasher, suggesting a coordinated move to attack the city may be imminent," adding that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) are positioning themselves, raising concerns of a large-scale confrontation.

Noting that such an attack on the city would cause "devastating consequences for the civilian population," the UN spokesperson also reminded that "this escalation of tensions is in an area already on the brink of famine."

"The Secretary-General reiterates his call on all Parties to refrain from fighting in the El Fasher area," he added.

El Fasher serves as the administrative center of the Darfur region comprising five states. It is the largest city in Darfur and the only one among the capitals of the other states in the region that has not fallen into the hands of the paramilitary RSF.

The Sudanese army controls El Fasher, and it is supported by armed movements that signed the Juba peace agreement with the government in 2020. Among these movements are the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Minni Minnawi and the Justice and Equality Movement led by Gibril Ibrahim.

Since mid-April 2023, the Sudanese army, led by Sovereignty Council head Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF have been engaged in a war. The conflict has resulted in the death of nearly 15,000 people and displaced more than 8 million people, according to UN figures.