60 civilians killed, 250 injured in clashes in Sudan’s South Darfur: UN

KHARTOUM, Aug. 23, (Xinhua/GNA) — The United Nations, on Tuesday said at least 60 people were killed, and 250 others injured, during the ongoing clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Nyala, the capital city of South Darfur State in western Sudan.

Preliminary reports indicated that approximately 10,000 families, about 50,000 people, fled their homes, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its latest update. It noted that a Turkish Hospital in Nyala that treats the wounded, which is already understaffed, is reportedly struggling to cope with the influx of wounded people.

The OCHA added that there were concerns that the continued fighting will exacerbate the already precarious humanitarian situation, and heighten the health, nutrition, sanitation and food security needs of the vulnerable.

According to the UN, an estimated 401,000 people live in Nyala, and about 95,000 needed humanitarian assistance even before the conflict.

Sudan has been witnessing deadly armed clashes between the SAF and the RSF in Khartoum and other areas since April 15, which left over 3,000 people killed and more than 6,000 injured, according to the Sudanese Health Ministry.

More than 4 million people have fled from their homes — 3.2 million people were displaced internally, and close to 900,000 have crossed the border into Chad, Egypt, South Sudan and other countries, according to the latest UN estimates.

GNA