August 24, 2023—Anna Bylund, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) emergency coordinator in N’Djamena, gave the following statement today on violence affecting communities where MSF teams are working in South Darfur, Sudan:
"A tragedy is unfolding in Nyala, South Darfur, as fighting continues to rage, with targeted and indiscriminate attacks against civilians reaching catastrophic levels, and all roads in and out of the area effectively cut off by the fighting.
"Our staff, who along with tens of thousands of other civilians remain trapped in the area, have told us heartbreaking stories about being forced to bury their neighbors, family, and friends after they were killed in the last few days, during a surge in fighting in Nyala where spaces like markets and residential areas have been turned into battlegrounds.
"We have also been told that armed fighters have stormed homes and hidden inside, effectively using civilians as human shields and leaving them with no protected spaces. Only yesterday, August 23, shelling caused the death of 27 people, mostly women and children who were caught in the crossfire while hiding under a bridge. Meanwhile, Kas Hospital, which is the only hospital in the area, is now being controlled by armed groups, leaving civilians with little to no options for medical care.
