Local security conflict

There is a war on the ground and a media war. As in many conflicts today, even in El Fasher, the capital of the Sudanese region of North Darfur, the media plays a significant role in the events surrounding what is happening in the last stronghold in the hands of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in a region that has been besieged for months by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) (see Fides, 26/9/2024).While the Sudanese army claims to have shot down seven enemy drones near the city and destroyed "enemy forces" that tried to penetrate the defense lines, the few independent sources present report that the two sides continue to exchange artillery fire, causing civilian casualties.The situation of the refugees in the Zamzam camp is particularly bad, where, according to Doctors Without Borders, thirteen children die of malnutrition every day. The Yale University's Malnutrition Research Laboratory has determined from satellite photos that the Rapid Support Forces are advancing on key points in El Fasher that are in the hands of the army and allied militias: the army headquarters in the city center, the nearby military airfield and the road that leads from the city center to the Zamzam refugee camp further south.Meanwhile, the situation is also tragic in the city of Al Hilaliya in the state of Gezira in central-eastern Sudan, which is also besieged by Rapid Support Forces militiamen. At least 382 people have died since the encirclement began a fortnight ago. According to local sources, the Rapid Support Forces have poisoned the city's wells. This news has not been confirmed by independent sources and could be part of the media disinformation and propaganda operations of the various parties involved in the conflict. However, actions against the civilian population in Gezira state are also documented in the report presented to the UN Security Council on November 12 by Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs. In her report, the American diplomat denounces various states that continue to supply the warring parties with weapons, without naming them. "To put it bluntly: some supposed allies of the warring parties are enabling the massacre in Sudan. This is unacceptable, it is illegal and must stop," she demanded.The war, which broke out in April 2023, has so far left at least 24,000 dead, 11 million displaced people and refugees, while a large part of the population is suffering from severe food shortages or even starving.