The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) described the crisis as one of epic proportions, denouncing limited access to vulnerable communities as a result of ongoing struggles and restrictions by the authorities, particularly in Darfur.

Hostilities between Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Reaction Forces (RSF) have increased in El Fasher since last week after the latter surrounded the city to expand their control, so far, in the hands of the rival army.

El Fasher, the last town in Darfur controlled by the Sudanese army, is home to hundreds of thousands of people internally displaced by the violence unleashed after over a year of hostilities.

‘Our calls for humanitarian access to key hotspots in Sudan have never been more critical,’ Michael Dunford, the World Food Programme’s (WFP) regional director for East Africa, told reporters.

omr/lam/ebr