Doctors Without Borders has been forced to halt lifesaving aid in a famine-hit displacement camp as fighting intensifies in Sudan.
The international medical charity also known as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said fighting between the Sudanese military and its rival paramilitary the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has made it impossible to operate in the North Darfur state.
"Despite widespread starvation and immense humanitarian needs, we have no choice but to take the decision to suspend all our activities in the camp, including the MSF field hospital," MFS said in a statement.
As a result of the halt, more than half a million people in the Zamzam camp are starving and trapped without medical aid, including those needing trauma surgery and emergency caesareans.
MSF head of mission in Sudan Yahya Kalilah said two ambulances carrying patients from the camp to El Fasher -- the capital city of North Darfur -- were shot at in both January and December.
"The most minimal security conditions are currently not met for us to stay," he said.
"Halting our project in the midst of a worsening disaster in Zamzam is a heartbreaking decision,"
The RSF stormed Zamzam on February 11, triggering two days of clashes with the army and forcing about 10,000 families to flee, said the International Organization for Migration.
MSF's facility, established to tackle a severe malnutrition crisis, received 139 wounded patients in the first three weeks of February — most with gunshot and shrapnel injuries.
Eleven patients, including five children, died at the facility as it lacks trauma surgery capacity.
Both warring sides have been accused of indiscriminately shelling health facilities and residential areas and using hunger as a weapon of war.
The conflict in Sudan, which erupted nearly two years ago, has killed tens of thousands and triggered what aid agencies describe as the world's largest displacement and hunger crises.
In recent weeks, the RSF has stepped up its attacks on El-Fasher after the army made key gains on the capital and central Sudan, with tens of thousands forced to flee.
ABC/AP
