Escalating Clashes Kill 85 In Western Sudan: UN

(MENAFN- AzerNews) At least 85 people have been killed during ongoing clashesbetween the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary RapidSupport Forces (RSF) in the past two weeks at El Fasher, thecapital city of North Darfur State, western Sudan, Xinhua reportsciting a United Nations agency, Azernews reports.

"According to health partners, at least 700 civilians have beeninjured and 85 people have been killed during the armed clashessince May 10," the UN Office for the Coordination of HumanitarianAffairs (OCHA) said in its latest report.

The humanitarian situation for an estimated 800,000 civilians inEl Fasher and surrounding areas has deteriorated following theoutbreak of armed clashes, according to the report.

"At least 1,250 people (250 households) have been displaced,"said OCHA, citing reports from the International Organization forMigration (IOM).

OCHA noted that "due to communications disruptions and accesschallenges, these reported figures are underestimates and arelikely to increase."

OCHA warned of a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situationand increasing concerns for civilian safety. The clashes havespread to previously unaffected city areas, raising fears of widerviolence.

The El Fasher fighting is part of a larger conflict that hasgripped Sudan since April 15, 2023. Clashes between the SAF and theRSF have claimed an estimated 15,550 lives and displaced 8.8million people nationwide, according to OCHA.

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