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Children at Risk of Dying in Famine-Hit Darfur as Medical Supplies Are Blocked, Aid Group Says

Displaced Sudanese people sit at Zamzam camp, in North Darfur, Sudan, August 1, 2024. (Reuters)
Displaced Sudanese people sit at Zamzam camp, in North Darfur, Sudan, August 1, 2024. (Reuters)
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Children at Risk of Dying in Famine-Hit Darfur as Medical Supplies Are Blocked, Aid Group Says

Displaced Sudanese people sit at Zamzam camp, in North Darfur, Sudan, August 1, 2024. (Reuters)
Displaced Sudanese people sit at Zamzam camp, in North Darfur, Sudan, August 1, 2024. (Reuters)

Malnourished children in a famine-hit camp for war-displaced people in Sudan’s western region of Darfur are at risk of dying, an aid group said Sunday, because it was forced to ration malnutrition treatment due to a blockade imposed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Doctors Without Borders said the RSF, which have besieged al-Fasher city as part of its war against the Sudanese military, have blocked three trucks carrying lifesaving medical supplies, including therapeutic food, for the city and the nearby Zamzam camp where famine was confirmed last week.

Sudan plunged into chaos in April last year when simmering tensions between the military and the RSF developed into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum, before spreading across the northeastern African country. Darfur saw some of the worst and most devastating bouts of fighting in the war.

The conflict has killed thousands of people and pushed many into starvation. It created the world’s largest displacement crisis with more than 10 million people forced to flee their homes since April 2023, according to the UN migration agency. Over 2 million of those fled to neighboring countries.

International experts in the Famine Review Committee confirmed Thursday that starvation at Zamzam camp, where up to 600,000 people shelter, has grown into full famine.

International experts use set criteria to confirm the existence of famines. A famine is declared in an area when one in five people or households severely lack food and face starvation and destitution that would ultimately lead to critical levels of acute malnutrition and death.

In Zamzam camp, which has swelled with the arrival of new displaced people, many children are in critical condition, Doctors Without Borders said, adding that the malnutrition ward at its field hospital in the camp is overcrowded with a 126% bed occupancy rate.

The group said RSF fighters have blocked the trucks in the town of Kabkabiya for over a month, adding that it was forced to limit the number of children receiving therapeutic food in the overcrowded camp as its stock of medicine covers only two weeks.

“Deliberately obstructing or delaying humanitarian cargo is putting the lives of thousands of children at-risk as they are cut-off from receiving life-saving treatment,” it said on social media platform X.

There was no immediate comment from the RSF.

The RSF has imposed a siege on el-Fasher in its monthslong attempt to take it from the military and its allied rebel groups. The city, the provincial capital of North Darfur, is the last stronghold for the military in the war-torn Darfur region.

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Arab World

Israeli Provocations Aim to Draw Damascus into Regional Escalation

Israeli soldiers operate in the occupied Golan Heights near the Syrian border, Dec. 28, 2023 (Reuters)
Israeli soldiers operate in the occupied Golan Heights near the Syrian border, Dec. 28, 2023 (Reuters)
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Israeli Provocations Aim to Draw Damascus into Regional Escalation

Israeli soldiers operate in the occupied Golan Heights near the Syrian border, Dec. 28, 2023 (Reuters)
Israeli soldiers operate in the occupied Golan Heights near the Syrian border, Dec. 28, 2023 (Reuters)

Damascus is treading carefully to avoid being pulled into the region’s escalating tensions, but Syrian-Israeli friction has resurfaced after Israel struck Syrian army sites and military infrastructure, claiming it was acting to “protect Druze citizens in Sweida.”

The attacks drew condemnations from Saudi Arabia and other Arab and Muslim states.

Sources close to the Syrian Defense Ministry told Asharq Al-Awsat that Israel is seeking to provoke Syria and drag it into war by stoking tensions in Sweida, which has seen a string of recent security incidents.

Syrian authorities said they had foiled an attempt to smuggle weapons and ammunition intended for hostile acts.

Israel carried out a series of strikes on Friday targeting Syrian army positions and infrastructure in southern Syria.

Syria TV, citing local sources, said one strike hit the former Transport Battalion site, now used as the finance headquarters of the 40th Division, opposite Brigade 12 in the city. The attack caused material damage.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened to hit Syria with greater force if necessary, saying he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had instructed the military to strike Syrian government sites.

The Israeli military said it struck Syrian army weapons depots overnight and would not allow harm to come to the Druze in Syria, adding it would continue to act to protect them.

Syria’s Foreign Ministry condemned the strikes, calling them a new aggression based on flimsy pretexts and fabricated justifications, and a continuation of Israel’s escalation policy.

Saudi Arabia, in a Foreign Ministry statement, condemned “the blatant Israeli attack” on military infrastructure in southern Syria as a “flagrant violation of international law,” and urged the international community to act.

Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait and the Gulf Cooperation Council also condemned the raids, stressing Syria’s sovereignty and calling for an end to such attacks.

Türkiye described the strikes as a “dangerous escalation” that must be stopped, urging adherence to the 1974 disengagement agreement, which established a ceasefire and separation of forces in the Golan under UN supervision.

The Arab League said the attack fits within “Israeli plans to destabilize Syria” and undermine regional peace and security.

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said the strikes were not only a “blatant violation” of Syria’s sovereignty but also aimed at dragging the region into broader confrontation.

He urged the UN Security Council to act to halt repeated attacks on Syrian territory and ensure respect for international law.

Unrest in Sweida

Sources close to the Syrian Defense Ministry said Israel is working to widen the regional war and pull Syria into it, pointing to what they described as a parallel disinformation campaign about an Israeli ground advance and false reports of rockets launched from Syrian territory toward the occupied Golan.

They said Syria remains intent on avoiding conflict unless required to ward off a greater danger, and that any such move would come under Arab and international political cover.

President Ahmed al-Sharaa said after Eid al-Fitr prayers on Friday that “what is happening now is a major event, rare in history,” adding that Syria is acting with precision to avoid being drawn into conflict.

Sweida province has seen mounting security tensions in recent days. Local media said Syrian internal security forces foiled an infiltration attempt by members of the National Guard in western Sweida, triggering clashes that killed four and led to the arrest of seven others.

The National Guard, formed in Sweida in August 2025, is a coalition of local armed factions under Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, opposed to the Syrian authorities that overthrew Bashar al-Assad.

In a statement on Friday, Syria’s Interior Ministry said special units carried out a “precise security operation” in Sweida, thwarting an attempt to smuggle weapons and ammunition for “hostile acts” by outlaw groups on the Bosra al-Sham-Bakka road.

The ministry said the operation followed the detection of infiltrators near internal security checkpoints and suspicious movements of hostile vehicles, as part of a “criminal plot” to undermine stability.

Clashes killed four members of the group, two were arrested, and weapons and ammunition were seized. The ministry said the operation is part of ongoing efforts to pursue “outlaw gangs” and reinforce security across the province.

Arab World

Attacks in Baghdad Breach Fragile Militia Truce

An Iraqi armored vehicle near the US Embassy in Baghdad (AFP)
An Iraqi armored vehicle near the US Embassy in Baghdad (AFP)
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Attacks in Baghdad Breach Fragile Militia Truce

An Iraqi armored vehicle near the US Embassy in Baghdad (AFP)
An Iraqi armored vehicle near the US Embassy in Baghdad (AFP)

A wave of coordinated attacks struck Baghdad in a sharp escalation of Iraq’s security tensions, pointing to a shift in armed factions’ tactics and signaling that an undeclared truce may have effectively collapsed, with the US’s “Victory Base” being among the targets.

The attacks began with a strike on the headquarters of Iraq’s Intelligence Service in the Mansour district. Security sources said the blast hit the communications tower and server systems inside the compound, killing two officers and wounding several personnel, some critically.

The Security Media Cell said a drone crashed inside the compound at 10:15 a.m., striking the communications tower, while air defenses moved quickly to engage it.

The Intelligence Service mourned one of its officers, describing the attack as a “terrorist” act carried out by outlaws. It said the strike was a failed attempt to disrupt its work and vowed to pursue those responsible and bring them to justice.

The repeated use of the term “terrorism” in official statements tied to attacks attributed to armed factions underscores rising friction between the government and these groups.

The escalation came two days before the end of a five-day truce announced by Kataib Hezbollah, which pledged not to target the US Embassy in Baghdad under mediation led by Supreme Judicial Council head Faiq Zaidan and National Security Adviser Qassem al-Araji.

The understanding appeared limited to the embassy, excluding other locations such as logistical support facilities near Baghdad airport.

Sources said the United States did not provide a clear response to the truce conditions, while the US chargé d’affaires denied the presence of weapons at Victory Base, saying it serves as a diplomatic support center.

Violence also flared outside Baghdad. The Al-Haliwa military airport in Tuz Khurmatu, east of Salahuddin province, was hit in an attack marked by four explosions.

The site hosts units from the 4th Regiment of the 52nd Brigade of the Popular Mobilization Forces. Initial reports pointed to no casualties, but the PMF later said one of its fighters was killed and others wounded, describing the strike as a “Zionist-American bombardment.”

Security forces imposed a cordon and launched an investigation.

In a parallel development, Ashab al-Kahf claimed a drone attack on Victory Base, located near Baghdad’s international airport, warning civilians to stay away from areas hosting US presence and saying its operations would intensify.

The claim is significant, suggesting the truce has effectively ended, even without a formal announcement.

US sources say the site referred to as Victory Base has not been an official military base since 2011, when the complex was handed over to Iraqi authorities. It is now used as a diplomatic support facility rather than a standalone combat base.

The developments point to growing signs that armed factions are rotating roles in carrying out attacks to obscure responsibility and complicate attribution, particularly in Baghdad, where targets span government facilities and sites linked to the US presence.

The escalation comes against a wider regional backdrop. Since fighting erupted between Iran, the US and Israel on Feb. 28, Iraqi factions close to Tehran have stepped up attacks on diplomatic sites and military bases in Iraq and the Kurdistan region, drawing a series of US strikes in response.

On March 19, 2026, Hadi al-Amiri, head of the Badr Organization, accused the US and Israel of carrying out attacks on PMF positions and called on Iraqi authorities to take firm measures to prevent further strikes, as tensions show no sign of easing.

 

Arab World

European Nations Decry ‘Increasing Settler Terror’ in West Bank

Israeli soldiers take position as Israeli settlers barricade themselves in Joseph's Tomb in Nablus, March 17, 2026. (EPA)
Israeli soldiers take position as Israeli settlers barricade themselves in Joseph's Tomb in Nablus, March 17, 2026. (EPA)
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European Nations Decry ‘Increasing Settler Terror’ in West Bank

Israeli soldiers take position as Israeli settlers barricade themselves in Joseph's Tomb in Nablus, March 17, 2026. (EPA)
Israeli soldiers take position as Israeli settlers barricade themselves in Joseph's Tomb in Nablus, March 17, 2026. (EPA)

Diplomats from 13 European countries and Canada on Saturday slammed growing "terror" by settlers against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, after a surge in deadly attacks.

Since the start of March, six Palestinians have been shot dead in settler attacks in the West Bank, according to a tally of data from the Ramallah-based health ministry.

"We strongly condemn increasing settler terror and violence by the Israeli security forces inflicted upon Palestinian communities," said a joint statement from the diplomatic missions of countries including France, Spain and Britain.

"We are especially appalled by the killings of Palestinians over these past weeks. This violence by settler militias, aimed at taking over land and creating a coercive environment, forcing Palestinians to leave their homes, must end."

The statement called on the Israeli authorities to "prevent and prosecute the lethal violence, raids and attacks".

Israel's military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir on Wednesday criticized the increase in settler attacks in the West Bank, calling it "morally and ethically unacceptable".

Alongside roughly three million Palestinians, more than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements and outposts in the West Bank, which are illegal under international law.

While most Israeli settlers do not engage in violence, a small but militant fringe has been linked to attacks on Palestinians.

More broadly, violence in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has risen sharply since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war.

It has continued despite the ceasefire and spiked since the start of the war against Iran.

According to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry figures, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 1,050 Palestinians -- many of them gunmen, but also scores of civilians -- in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war.

Israeli troops last week shot dead two children and their parents in a car, Palestinian authorities said. The Israeli military and police said soldiers opened fire on a vehicle over a perceived safety threat, killing four people inside.

Official Israeli figures say 45 Israelis, including soldiers and civilians, have also been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations.