Khartoum, June 19 At least 346 civilians have been killed in El Fasher, the capital city of Sudan's North Darfur State, since May 10, amid intensified clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), an official said on Wednesday.
"More than 346 people have been killed and 2,200 others injured since May 10," Ibrahim Abdullah Khatir, director-general of North Darfur State's Health Ministry, told Xinhua news agency.
"Certainly the real figures are likely more than that," he said, adding that the statistics "only cover the dead and wounded who were registered in hospitals, while a large number of those killed were buried directly".
He noted that the local health system is under severe strain, with only one of the five central hospitals operational, along with a few health centers.
The pressure on services is overwhelming due to a shortage of medicines, particularly anesthesia drugs and essential medical supplies, Khatir said, emphasizing the urgent need for fuel to power hospital electricity and support for hospital staff and public health operations.
Sudan has been embroiled in a deadly conflict between the SAF and the RSF since April 2023, which has claimed 15,550 lives and displaced over 8.8 million people nationwide, according to estimates by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
--IANS
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