Sudan – Darfur: “Where are the people of El Fasher?” International Rescue Committee (IRC) demands as catastrophic hunger levels confirmed and unaccompanied children arrive in Tawila

As the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system confirms catastrophic hunger levels in El Fasher and Kadugli, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) is alarmed by the arrival of unaccompanied and separated children in Tawila, fleeing violence by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

IRC staff report that amidst the less than 5,000 people that have arrived so far in Tawila, at least 170 unaccompanied and separated children have been registered in recent days. They have reached the area without parents or relatives with many too young to even state their names or origins – while the whereabouts of their families remain unknown. This is a horrific illustration of what is happening in El Fasher and IRC and other humanitarian partners’ biggest concern remains the welfare of over 200,000 civilians in El Fasher whose whereabouts are unknown.

Arjan Hehenkamp, IRC Darfur Crisis Lead said

“The sight of these small children arriving alone, without knowing the whereabouts or the fate of the rest of their family, is harrowing. These children are at least now safe, but behind every one of these children is a missing mother, father, or sibling who may still be trapped in violence. Our biggest concern remains: where are their parents, where are the people of El Fasher? Extremely disturbing reports and satellite imagery confirm that people are not able to flee el Fasher to safe places like Tawila. Which means they are trapped, detained or worse. 

“We need urgent diplomacy at the highest levels to exert pressure on the RSF, other warring parties and their sponsors to ensure safe passage for civilians fleeing El Fasher and to ensure civilians remaining in El Fasher are protected from violence and attack. Warring parties must commit to protect humanitarian workers and ensure they can access those in need. This needs to happen immediately, the situation is deteriorating hour by hour.”

IRC continues to deliver critical humanitarian support in Tawila to displaced people from El Fasher including emergency health services, water trucking, and cash assistance. 

When the conflict began in 2023, the IRC adapted our programs and scaled up our response to address the increased humanitarian needs. Despite immense operational challenges, the IRC continues to provide support in Blue Nile, Khartoum, El Jezirah, Gedaref, River Nile, South Kordofan, West Darfur, North Darfur and White Nile. We also have a logistics and coordination office in Port Sudan and are exploring opportunities to expand our presence into other states.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Rescue Committee (IRC) .