Humanitarian conditions in Sudan worsen as conflict continues
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The United Nations says some 2.3 million people have been displaced since the internal fighting started mid-April.
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People board a minibus as they evacuate southern Khartoum, Sudan, on May 14, 2023 (AFP)
The humanitarian situation in Sudan continues to deteriorate as clashes between the Sudanese Army and Rapid Support Forces continue to escalate for the second month in a row without an end in sight.
The country's capital Khartoum witnessed the most intense fighting, as well as major cities in the Kordofan and Darfur regions as Tribal militants were also drawn into the ongoing battles in the past few weeks.
After eight weeks of armed battle that has exhausted crucial supplies and driven the healthcare system to the verge of collapse, many have gone out in search of food and water or to seek much-needed medical assistance.
Just hours after accusing the RSF and affiliated military groups of "genocide" on Wednesday, West Darfur state governor Khamis Abbakar was killed, according to an armed group he commanded, without providing further details. But two government sources held RSF responsible.
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According to activist groups, 1,100 have been killed since the beginning of the conflict in the capital of West Darfur, El Geneina.
"Civilians are being killed randomly and in large numbers," he told a Saudi news outlet.
"We haven't seen the army leave its base to defend people," he added prior to his death.
Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo's RSF claimed that the fighting in El Geneina was a tribal conflict, holding responsible the commander of the Sudanese Army and the de facto ruler of Sudan Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan for inciting the clashes, including those in El Geneina, adding that the paramilitary group has been attempting to secure aid to the city.
Multiple ceasefires mediated through diplomatic efforts led by Saudi Arabia and the United States were violated or did not hold, while each party accused the other of breaching the agreement.
According to the Darfur Bar Association, artillery shelling targeted civilian houses in South Darfur's capital Nyala on Wednesday, hinting that RSF stood behind the attacks suggesting that they started hours after the group complained that they are not receiving their salaries.
The Association added that the capital of Central Darfur, Zalingei, was under siege and that the capital of North Darfur, El Fashir, saw calm. But the organization expressed concerns over waves of displacement from RSF-controlled Kutum.
Strikes were conducted by the army conducted on RSF sites on El Obeid located between Khartoum and Darfur in North Kordofan, local witnesses said.
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The RSF forces have control over roads connecting the city to other towns, and they reached an agreement with local tribes to prevent armed gangs from penetrating the area, while the group targeted one of the towns, Al-Rahad, on Wednesday.
An attack carried out by militants associated with RSF was repelled by the army in South Kordofan's Kadugli, local sources said.
According to the United Nations, around 1.7 million people have been displaced inside the country and over 500,000 fled the borders.
Some 958 people have been killed since the conflict started, the Sudanese Doctors Union said.
