Over 100 people killed in week of attacks in Sudan's Darfur

By Pierfrancesco Loreto

Attacks by guerrilla soldiers and the military on two towns in Sudan’s western region of Darfur have killed 114 people during the past week, according to medical sources.

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) offensive in Kernoi killed 63 people and injured 17 others as drone strikes by the military on the RSF-controlled town of Al-Zuruq on Saturday hit a market and civilian areas, causing 51 fatalities. 

Since April 2023, the country has been embroiled in a conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary RSF, which in October took over the military's last stronghold in Darfur.

Both the SAF and their foes are accused of attacking civilian infrastructure as the UN calls it a "war of atrocities."

The whole area is mostly unreachable by the media, with local volunteers and healthcare professionals using satellite internet to inform the world about the current situation.

Since the beginning of the war, tens of thousands have lost their lives, and millions have had to leave their homes.

Darfur has been the area most affected by the hostilities.

UN warns about humanitarian chaos

A recent UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) survey in North Darfur found record-high levels of child malnourishment.

The agency warned that without a safe passage to humanitarian help, children are at risk of death from preventable causes.

As the situation gets worse, more and more Sudanese are abandoning their homes.

Since mid-December, nearly 11,000 people have been displaced from North and South Kordofan states, according to the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The majority of them are women and children who are debilitated and shaken after experiencing different forms of violence. In addition, some of the minors are by themselves, while others have disabilities.

The war has forced over 11 million civilians to flee domestically or cross into neighbouring countries, many of them finding refuge in deprived regions in desperate need of food, medicine, and clean water.