UN reports continued violence in Sudan's North Darfur, Kordofan

UNITED NATIONS - The civilian crisis in Sudan's North Darfur state has been deepening since the capture of El Fasher city, while casualties mount in the neighboring Kordofan region, UN humanitarians said Monday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said violence in North Darfur has spread beyond the state capital of El Fasher following the takeover by the Rapid Support Forces on Oct 26. Clashes continue to be reported along key access routes, trapping civilians and cutting off aid.

OCHA said the latest Yale School of Public Health Humanitarian Research Lab analysis of satellite imagery indicated possible mass body disposals in El Fasher, and the closure of a key escape route once used by civilians.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that nearly 89,000 people have fled El Fasher and nearby villages since Oct 26. Many have sought refuge in the Tawila, Melit and Saraf Omra regions.

The IOM said that in Tawila and Ad Dabbah, the United Nations and its partners provide food, clean water, sanitation, health care and psychosocial support, among other life-saving aid. But needs far exceed available resources.

The office said that some families from El Fasher fled west to the Tina region, near the Sudan-Chad border, where local volunteers reported that more than 3,000 displaced people urgently need food, shelter and health care. Across the border in eastern Chad, already overwhelmed host communities and partners are preparing for new arrivals as people continue to seek safety and assistance.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it verified that the reported attack on Dilling Hospital in South Kordofan state on Thursday killed six people, including a 12-year-old child, and injured 12 others. The agency said it was the 192nd verified attack on health care in Sudan since the outbreak of the conflict in April 2023.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the hospital's X-ray department was destroyed, severely compromising the facility's ability to provide medical services, and he repeated WHO's call for the protection of all health facilities, their patients and staff.

OCHA repeated its call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers, an end to attacks on hospitals and civilian infrastructure, and safe, unhindered access for aid to reach those in need across Sudan.