A silence interrupted only by the sound of empty buckets and fatigued steps. In El Fasher, in North Darfur, the water has become a mirage: just three water sources still active for hundreds of thousands of people fleeing the war. The rest is dust, bombs and thirst. “97% of the population is below minimum water access standards,” reports Ennio Miccoli, director of Coopi – International cooperationthe Italian humanitarian organization engaged in the field for over twenty years.
A siege that kills hope
For almost a year El Fasher has been under siege, devastated by bombing and violence. Last April’s attack against the field for internal displaced people of Zamzam – one of the largest in North Darfur – forced Over 500 thousand people flee in a few hoursmassing in the already exhausted city. Here, about 47,500 internal displaced persons They live in makeshift or outdoor shelters, without drinking water or basic toilets.
«85% of the displaced people do not have access to essential goods and services. The water, vital element, is now a luxury », explains Miccoli. The few supplies remained are above, often out of use, while the chest of fuel paralyzed the pumping systems.
The health emergency
“The hygienic-sanitary conditions are dramatic: the risk of epidemics such as cholera or acute aqueous diarrhea is very high,” says a coopi operator on the spot. «Families are forced to choose between drinking or washing. It is a race against time to avoid health collapse in overcrowded fields ».
To face the emergency, Coopi started the intervention “Provision of Life Saving Assistance for Idps in Emergency in El Fasher Locality, North Darfur Region”, financed by Sudan Humanitarian Fund from Ocha. From April the organization distributes 70 thousand liters of drinking water per daydelivered 20 liters to 1,000 vulnerable families and built 50 Emergency Latrines in informal fields.
«This is a first response to the most urgent needs – underlines Miccoli – but the needs of the population remain enormous. We will continue to work alongside those who no longer have anything ».
The forgotten crisis
Since 2023 Sudan has fallen into the most serious humanitarian crisis in the world: Over 12 million people have been forced to abandon their homestaking refuge in neighboring countries or becoming an internal displaced people. In North Darfur alone, Coopi has been operating since 2004 with interventions for access to water, food safety and the reduction in the risk of disasters. In twenty years he made 129 projects, reaching more than 4 million beneficiaries.
