TAWILA, Sudan — Thousands of displaced families have walked long distances without food or water to escape violence in El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state in western Sudan, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said Saturday.

“In Tawila, North Darfur, thousands of families are fleeing violence in El-Fasher, arriving exhausted, hungry & malnourished,” UNICEF said in a statement on X.

Abubakar Ahmed, a UNICEF nutrition specialist, said more than 6,000 people — mostly women and children — fled from El-Fasher to Tawila last week, with new arrivals reported daily.

The displaced traveled more than 60 kilometers on foot, often taking four to five days to reach safety.

“The displaced face major challenges along the way, with some being beaten, while others spend days without food or water,” Ahmed said. “When they arrive – really, they looked thirsty, and most of them are malnourished, even children and adults.”

Many children arrived without their families and did not know their whereabouts, he added.

Sudan’s Undersecretary of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Salma Ishaq, told Al Jazeera that 25 women were raped and 300 others killed by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters in El-Fasher.

The World Health Organization’s regional director urged protection for health facilities in the city and called for unimpeded humanitarian access, noting reports that patients were dying due to a shortage of medical supplies.

The mass displacement followed the RSF’s capture of El-Fasher on Sunday after clashes with the Sudanese army. There was no immediate comment from the RSF regarding the UNICEF statement.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) also voiced concern for civilians trapped in the city, saying its teams in Tawila were preparing for a surge in wounded and displaced people.

On Wednesday, RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti) acknowledged that “violations” had occurred in El-Fasher, saying investigation committees had been formed.

Since April 15, 2023, Sudan’s army and the RSF have been at war, with mediation efforts failing to halt the conflict, which has killed about 20,000 people and displaced more than 15 million, according to UN and local reports. — Agencies