PORT SUDAN, Sudan, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Sudanese Doctors Syndicate reported on Friday that more than 200 people have died in Al Hilaliya, a Sudanese city under siege by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The syndicate said some of the fatalities were caused by "illness, hunger, thirst, torture, and chemical poisoning" amid a lack of medical care. The Sudanese Foreign Ministry reported on Thursday that 120 people in Al Hilaliya had died due to armed attacks and food contamination allegedly caused by the RSF.
Al Hilaliya has been blockaded by the RSF for approximately 10 days, facing a worsening humanitarian crisis, according to the ministry.
Sudan has been engulfed in conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF since mid-April 2023. An October report from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project estimated that more than 24,850 lives have been lost in the ongoing violence. ■