UN alarmed after air strike kills hundreds at North Darfur market; humanitarian access limited

The United Nations said it was shocked by reports that hundreds of civilians were killed and scores injured in air strikes by the Sudanese Armed Forces on a busy market in Tor village in North Darfur on March 24, the UN spokesperson said relaying the statement of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The briefing noted that humanitarian colleagues reported injured people are dying because access to timely medical care in Al Fasha is blocked, with siege and hostilities forcing most health facilities to shut down. UN humanitarians working on the ground condemned deliberate and indiscriminate attacks on civilians, including markets, hospitals, schools, religious sites and homes.

Clementine Nkwete Salami, identified in the briefing as a resident and humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, said the attack is a reminder of “the growing disregard for human life, international humanitarian law” and called for protection of civilians and safe passage for those fleeing fighting. The UN spokesperson also said that, given volatile security in parts of North Darfur, the UN currently does not have an operational presence in Tor or El Fashir.

Why it matters: the reported scale of civilian casualties and the loss of health services aggravate an already dire humanitarian situation in North Darfur and underscore limits to humanitarian access where hostilities continue.