Khartoum: The United Nations aid chief on Sunday described the suffering of displaced civilians in Sudan's North Darfur state as 'unspeakable,' saying more than half of the fleeing survivors are children.

According to Anadolu Agency, the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that Tom Fletcher, the UN aid chief, visited El-Geneina in West Darfur and Zalingei in Central Darfur. During his visit, Fletcher shared the harrowing experiences of the displaced, highlighting the story of an injured woman who walked into a camp carrying her friend's starving child after surviving an attack.

The UN relief agency indicated through a Facebook post that Fletcher also visited Tawila and met women who had fled El-Fasher only weeks earlier. He emphasized that these displaced individuals carry terrifying stories of brutal violence and expressed the need for better protection and support for them.

Earlier this week, Fletcher arrived in Port Sudan located in eastern Sudan, where he held discussions with Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of Sudan's Transitional Sovereignty Council. The conflict, which has been ongoing since April 2023 between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has resulted in significant casualties and displacement.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that the number of displaced people from El-Fasher and surrounding villages has exceeded 99,000 since October 26. The RSF, accused of massacres, seized El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, and currently controls all five Darfur states. In contrast, the army maintains control over the remaining 13 states, including Khartoum.

The conflict has caused extensive human suffering, with the World Health Organization reporting at least 40,000 deaths and 12 million displaced individuals. Despite Darfur comprising about one-fifth of Sudan's territory, the majority of the country's 50 million residents live in areas controlled by the army.