The U.N. World Food Program said Wednesday that it was forced to suspend operations in and around the famine-hit Zamzam displacement camp in Sudan’s North Darfur because of escalating violence.
“Intense fighting in Zamzam camp in Sudan’s North Darfur region has forced” the Rome-based agency “to temporarily pause the distribution of life-saving food and nutrition assistance in the famine-hit camp for displaced people.”
“Over the past two weeks escalating violence left WFP’s partners with no choice but to evacuate staff for safety,” it said in a statement.
Fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, intensified this month in the camp, which the United Nations says shelters more than half a million people.
“Without immediate assistance, thousands of desperate families in Zamzam could starve in the coming weeks,” said Laurent Bukera, WFP’s regional director for Eastern Africa and acting country director for Sudan.
“We must resume the delivery of life-saving aid in and around Zamzam safely, quickly and at scale. For that, the fighting must stop and humanitarian organizations must be granted security guarantees,” Bukera said.
The RSF stormed Zamzam on Feb. 11, triggering two days of clashes with the army and allied militias and forcing about 10,000 families to flee, according to the International Organization for Migration.
“The recent violence left Zamzam’s Central Market destroyed by shelling, pushing residents of the camp … further away from accessing essential food and supplies,” the WFP statement said.
Famine was first declared in Zamzam in August and has since spread to two more displacement camps near the North Darfur capital of El-Fasher.
It is expected to expand to five more areas, including El-Fasher itself, by May, according to a U.N.-backed assessment.
Before the latest violence, around 1.7 million people were displaced in North Darfur alone, with 2 million civilians facing extreme food insecurity, the United Nations said.
Established in 2004, Zamzam has received waves of displaced Sudanese during the current war.
Source: voanews.com
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