The UN and its partners are scaling up support in Tawila, North Darfur, where more than 380,000 people have been displaced by fighting. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the updated plan will focus on food, clean water, health, shelter, and protection. The effort will run over the next three months and needs $120 million to move forward.
Conditions in and around Tawila are worsening. Aid groups report surges in cholera, malaria, and measles cases, while violence has forced more than 30 health centers to shut down. Internet blackouts and a lack of diagnostic supplies are complicating efforts to track outbreaks.
“Health workers are running out of medicine, oxygen, and vaccines,” said UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric. “The system is barely holding.”
The crisis also continues to take lives. Seventeen people reportedly died of thirst last week after their vehicle broke down while fleeing across the desert. In South Darfur, flooding has blocked roads, cutting off food and fuel supplies, and sending market prices soaring.
The UN is urging all sides to stop the violence and ensure safe access for aid delivery. Drone attacks last week in West Kordofan killed five people and wounded several more, according to field reports. Officials say international help is still falling short of what’s needed to prevent further loss in Sudan’s hardest-hit areas.
