Sudan’s Darfur declared ‘disaster zone’ amid violence

By Buhram Abdel-Men'em

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AA) – The governor of Sudan’s western Darfur region has declared the area a “disaster zone” amid killings and looting.

“Crimes continue to be committed against residents at a time when we are seeking by all means to protect civilians and combat crime,” Minni Arko Minnawi said on his Facebook account.

He said locals in the town of Kutum in North Darfur and El-Geneina in West Darfur “are subject to atrocious violations”.

“We declare Darfur a disaster zone, and we appeal to the world to send humanitarian aid across the border and by all available means to save the people of the region,” he added.

On Sunday, at least 20 civilians were killed in an attack by gunmen in Kutum town, according to North Darfur Governor Nimir Abdulrahman.

The governor did not rule out that the attack was linked to the ongoing clashes in Sudan between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group.

At least 863 civilians have been killed and thousands injured in clashes between the two military rivals since April 15, according to local medics.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that more than a million people have been internally displaced by the conflict.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar