According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), people displaced by violence have also fled areas around the city, the capital of the northern state.

Hostilities could trigger a massacre in the last stronghold of the Sudanese Forces which now remains under siege by their rivals, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The town is the only remaining area in Darfur not entirely controlled by the RSF.

It is also a refuge for hundreds of thousands of internally-displaced people, including survivors of previous RSF attacks who sought refuge in the area.

On Tuesday, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) expressed deep concern for the welfare and safety of civilians.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), on the other hand, warned of the risks posed by armed clashes for control of the Golo water reservoir, located just west of the city.

The hostilities could cut off the supply of drinking and adequate water to some 270,000 people in and around El Fasher, UNICEF warned.

The agency called for all parties to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law and cease all attacks on or near critical civilian infrastructure, including water systems and facilities, hospitals, health centers and schools.

Coupled with these risks, the UN response is constrained by a lack of funding.

Out of the US$2.7 billion needed, the agency received only 16%, or US$430 million.

pll/rgh/ebr