FALCON POWERS – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) stated on Friday that acts of violence in the vicinity of El Fasher, in the Darfur region of Sudan, have resulted in the closure of a newly opened humanitarian corridor from Chad, and time is running out to prevent famine in this vast area.
The attacks in El Fasher, the last stronghold of the Sudanese army in Darfur, which is home to approximately 1.6 million people, have raised grave concerns about a new wave of mass displacement and sectarian conflict within the ongoing war in Sudan. The conflict between the army and the quasi-military Rapid Support Forces has exacerbated the hunger crisis, with some resorting to eating tree leaves or even soil as famine looms.
Relief officials say that both sides are looting or blocking aid from reaching the areas where famine is rampant, contributing to the worsening humanitarian crisis.
The WFP stated that recent acts of violence in the vicinity of El Fasher have led to the suspension of aid convoys crossing the Tine border crossing in Chad, while restrictions imposed by authorities allied with the army prevent the delivery of aid through the only other remaining aid corridor from Chad in Adré. Only small quantities of aid have entered El Fasher during the war, and it is the only channel approved by the army for transporting shipments to other parts of Darfur.
A satellite imagery study conducted by the Yale Laboratory for Humanitarian Research indicates that since March, 23 villages near El Fasher have been destroyed, with the Rapid Support Forces likely behind the destruction.
