NEW YORK CITY: The UN on Wednesday condemned what it described as “horrific” violations of international humanitarian law in Sudan, following reports that hundreds of people were massacred at a maternity hospital in the besieged city of El-Fasher amid escalating violence and mass displacement across the war-torn country.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the organization was “horrified by the reports of the tragic killing of more than 460 people, both patients and their companions, at the Saudi Maternity Hospital in El-Fasher.”
The attack followed recent assaults and abductions targeting health workers in the area, he added, as fighting between warring military factions continues to devastate the Darfur region of the country.
According to the World Health Organization, prior to the latest incident there had been 185 verified attacks on health care facilities in Sudan since the civil war erupted in April 2023, resulting in 1,204 deaths and 416 injuries among health workers and patients. Of those attacks, 49 took place this year, killing 966 people, Dujarric said.
The escalating violence in the city has driven tens of thousands of people from their homes; the International Organization for Migration reported that more than 36,000 people fled El-Fasher on Sunday and Monday alone, many of them seeking refuge on the outskirts of the city and in nearby areas including Kebkabiya, Mellit and Tawila.
“Families are living in the open with no shelter, sanitation or protection,” Dujarric said. Women and girls in particular face heightened risks of violence and abuse, he warned.
Thousands more, including the elderly, people with disabilities and the wounded, remain trapped in El-Fasher as a result of the insecurity and lack of transport, according to local sources.
The UN’s humanitarian agencies are coordinating relief operations in Tawila, where overcrowded displacement sites are hosting newly arrived families.
“Urgent needs include shelter, food, water, health care and protection,” Dujarric said.
In neighboring North Kordofan state, meanwhile, fighting has forced between 24,000 and 27,000 people to flee the Um Dam Hajj Ahmed area, the International Organization for Migration reported.
In the same region, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it was “horrified” that five Sudanese Red Crescent volunteers were killed and three went missing while distributing food in Barah. Twenty-one Red Crescent employees and volunteers have been killed since the conflict began, Dujarric said.
“We can’t stress enough that civilians, humanitarian workers and medical personnel must always be protected,” he added, calling on all parties “to immediately halt hostilities, guarantee safe passage for civilians and aid workers, and ensure sustained humanitarian access wherever it is needed.”
Dujarric also confirmed that Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs ordered two senior World Food Programme officials, the organization’s country director and its emergency coordinator, to leave the country within 72 hours without offering an explanation.
“This decision comes at a pivotal time,” he said, noting that more than 24 million people in Sudan are facing acute food insecurity, with some communities already affected by famine.
“WFP and senior UN officials are engaging with authorities to protest this action, and seeking clarification,” Dujarric added.
“All parties in Sudan must prioritize the lives and well-being of millions who depend on emergency food and nutrition assistance for their survival.
“WFP, and the whole UN family, remain unwavering in our commitment to ensuring that the people of Sudan can access vital assistance during this period of unprecedented hunger, insecurity and humanitarian need.”