Dozens of children and numerous older people have died from hunger and disease in the besieged Sudanese city of El Fasher over the past 40 days, the United Nations said Monday.
Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for Secretary-General António Guterres, said the deaths occurred in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, and the adjoining Abu Shouk camp. He said funding shortages and rising costs have forced the shutdown of community kitchens, leaving thousands without daily meals.
Haq, speaking at a noon briefing, said Humanitarian Coordinator Denise Brown called Sunday for the siege to be lifted and for an end to indiscriminate attacks. She also demanded clear orders to prevent sexual violence and ethnically motivated attacks.
Brown said the U.N. has received reports of unlawful killings, abductions and arbitrary detention, as well as indiscriminate attacks on markets, hospitals and places of worship.
Civilians in El Fasher face impossible choices, trapped inside the city or risking violence, harassment and looting on insecure routes if they try to flee.
Brown stressed that international humanitarian law requires civilians to be protected. She said safe passage must be guaranteed for those who wish to leave.
“Exit routes need to remain open, secure and accessible – and civilians who remain also require protection, along with access to food, water and other essential supplies,” she said. “Local responders and other humanitarian workers, who risk their lives daily to deliver assistance, must also be protected.”