The United Nations warns of a humanitarian disaster in Al-Fasher amid escalating shelling and ongoing siege

The city of Al-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, is witnessing a serious escalation in violence, as it has been subjected to intense and violent shelling since the early hours of today, amid UN warnings of "widespread atrocities" due to the ongoing siege imposed by the Rapid Support Forces on the city.

Local sources reported to the "Al-Arabiya" website that the shelling, attributed to the Rapid Support Forces, focused on using heavy artillery from the eastern axis of the city, targeting the neighborhoods of Abu Shouk, the airport, and Darja Awla, which are areas under the control of the Sudanese army. The sources added that the strikes "hit markets, homes, and shelters indiscriminately."

The fighting is not limited to the ground, as drones have entered the fray. A drone belonging to the Rapid Support Forces flew over the city and carried out attacks on military sites, while the army responded with airstrikes through its offensive drones, which resulted - according to a statement from the Sixth Infantry Division in Al-Fasher on Thursday evening - in "neutralizing a number of the attacking ground forces" and destroying combat vehicles and killing elements of the attacking forces that attempted to infiltrate the city.

Amid this escalation, civilians are paying the highest price. Local residents confirmed that they "face the daily risk of death due to indiscriminate shelling," noting that three people were killed on Wednesday, and six others two days ago.

The humanitarian tragedy is exacerbated by deteriorating living conditions, as residents complain of a severe shortage of food supplies, "with prices of flour and rice exceeding 100 dollars per kilogram," in addition to the lack of medical supplies and materials in the city, putting the lives of thousands at risk.

In response to this rapid deterioration, the United Nations has called for urgent measures to prevent "atrocities and widespread attacks based on ethnicity" in the besieged city of Al-Fasher.

Al-Fasher is the last capital in the Darfur region still under the control of the Sudanese army, and it forms the main front in the war that has been ongoing since March 2023 between the Sudanese army led by Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, which has besieged the city since May 2024.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, stated: "Atrocities can be avoided if all parties take concrete actions to respect international law and demand respect for the lives of civilians and their property and prevent the continuation of committing horrific crimes."

The United Nations Human Rights Commission revealed that "at least 91 civilians were killed between September 19 and 29 due to artillery shelling, drone strikes, and ground attacks carried out by the Rapid Support Forces."

Turk warned that the consequences could be catastrophic, noting that "after more than 500 days of continuous siege and ongoing fighting, Al-Fasher is on the brink of a greater disaster if urgent measures are not taken to lift the armed siege on the city and protect civilians."