KHARTOUM, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) on Wednesday announced the suspension of its operations at the Zamzam displacement camp in North Darfur state, western Sudan, due to the escalating violence.

"Intense shelling in North Darfur's Zamzam camp -- the only place in the world where famine is confirmed -- is disrupting the distribution of WFP food assistance and putting civilians and aid workers at risk," the WFP said in a statement.

"Over the past two weeks, escalating violence left WFP's partners with no choice but to evacuate staff for safety," it added, expressing hope that it would soon be able to resume the delivery of life-saving in and around Zamzam safely.

Zamzam, the largest displacement camp in the Darfur region, has been witnessing armed clashes for about two weeks between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Darfuri armed movements allied with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).

On Monday, the non-governmental medical aid group, Doctors Without Borders (MSF), announced the suspension of all its activities in the Zamzam camp.

"Despite widespread starvation and immense humanitarian needs, we have no choice but to take the decision to suspend all our activities in the camp, including the operation of the MSF field hospital," the group said in a statement.

According to the MSF, the Zamzam camp, which hosts about 500,000 people, has been witnessing flocks of new arrivals fleeing from areas near El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.

Sudan has been gripped by a devastating conflict between the SAF and the RSF since mid-April 2023, which claimed at least 29,683 lives, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, a crisis monitoring group cited by the United Nations.

The conflict has also displaced over 15 million people, either inside or outside Sudan, according to estimates by the International Organization for Migration. Enditem

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