Around 350 families trek 50 km to escape Sudan's El Fasher siege: UN

UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Approximately 350 families walked around 50 km for four days, fleeing the besieged Sudanese city of El Fasher, and arrived in the town of Tawila in a dire condition, UN humanitarians said Tuesday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that mostly women, children and older people, some injured along the way, joined on Sunday and Monday the more than 600,000 people displaced from El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, and surrounding areas now harboring in Tawila.

OCHA said that dozens of young men who fled with the group are still missing, and escalating violence deepens the already devastating humanitarian crisis in Sudan's North Darfur, as the United Nations and its partners continue to scale up their response efforts where access allows.

"The UN and its humanitarian partners have provided food, water and basic medical care to the new arrivals, but needs far exceed available resources," the office said. "Many displaced families lack shelter, adequate food or safe water. OCHA is coordinating with authorities, donors and partners to mobilize additional capacity, resources and support."

The humanitarians said that repeated attacks continue to imperil civilians in El Fasher. Local sources reported that heavy shelling struck central parts of the city on Monday, endangering thousands of civilians in one of El Fasher's most densely populated areas.

OCHA said local authorities reported that more than 109,000 people were displaced across 127 sites in the state capital area, most lacking food, clean water and medical care.

In the localities of As Serief and Kernoi, the International Organization for Migration estimated that about 10,000 people were displaced on Sunday due to heightened insecurity. Most fled to nearby locations within Kernoi.

The office said drones reportedly struck Khartoum international airport at dawn on Tuesday, a day before it was due to reopen for domestic flights for the first time since the conflict began in April 2023.

OCHA reiterated UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and unimpeded humanitarian access to all those in need. ■