Shooting Stops in West Darfur but Thousands Need Help After Ethnic Clashes

KHARTOUM, SUDAN - Violence in the West Darfur capital of El Geneina has stopped after days of deadly ethnic and tribal clashes, but people who fled their homes urgently need food, water, shelter, and sanitation, according to the U.N. refugee agency.

No shootings have been reported over the past four days, according to a statement released Wednesday night by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), but the fighting displaced thousands of people, many of whom have taken refuge in scores of sites across El Geneina. The number of people affected by the conflict between Arab and Masalit fighters is still unclear as official assessments have yet to take place. More than 1,800 people fled into neighboring Chad since the recent clashes erupted on April 3, “bringing the total number to 5,000 including those who fled since January,” said the U.N. statement.