According to the UN migration agency, IOM, Nearly 82,000 people have fled El Fasher. and surroundings from October 26Many of them are heading towards Tawila, which is already home to hundreds of thousands of people displaced by previous fighting.
The UN reproductive rights agency, UNFPA, warned that women and girls have suffered rape, kidnapping and “other extreme violence” while fleeing.
M. Haq said that local sources have reported on some 1,300 people with gunshot wounds arriving in Tawila after being attacked while escaping the city.
“We again call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and for all parties to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law,” he added, stressing that the safety of civilians and humanitarian workers must be guaranteed.
Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said Chad now hosts 1.4 million refugeesmostly from Darfur, and warned that more people are likely to cross the border as the violence worsens. “With the escalation of violence in El Fasher, another large influx into Chad is expected, putting even more pressure on host communities,” said M. Haq.