The Director-General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Amy Pope, warned on Tuesday that the sharp deterioration in security and grave human rights violations — including mass killings, and ethnic and gender-based violence — in El Fasher, North Darfur, have led to a dramatic surge in displacement and worsened the humanitarian crisis.
During the start of her five-day visit to the war-torn country, Pope said that the crisis in El Fasher is the direct result of nearly 18 months of siege, which has deprived families of food, water, and medical care.
“Our teams are doing everything they can to respond,” she said, “but insecurity and dwindling supplies mean we are only reaching a fraction of those in need. Without safe access and urgent funding, humanitarian operations could grind to a halt at a time when communities are most in need of assistance.”
She noted that the town of Tawila, which hosted around 650,000 displaced people before the recent escalation, has received dozens of critically injured patients arriving from El Fasher.
Pope stressed that despite mounting needs, humanitarian operations are now at risk of collapse.
“Warehouses are nearly empty, aid convoys face extreme insecurity, and ongoing access restrictions are preventing adequate aid delivery,” she warned.
The IOM is urgently appealing for increased funding and safe, sustained humanitarian access to avert a larger catastrophe.
She also announced that a humanitarian convoy departed from Port Sudan on October 20, carrying shelter and non-food items for approximately 7,500 displaced people, to be distributed in cooperation with the African Relief Committee and Save the Children International.
