KHARTOUM, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- At least 95 people have died from hunger and disease over the past 40 days in Abu Shouk displacement camp in El Fasher, western Sudan, volunteer groups said on Sunday.

In a statement, the Abu Shouk Camp Emergency Room said 73 children under five and 22 elderly individuals had died from hunger and illness among camp residents.

"The security and humanitarian situation in El Fasher remains dire, with residents facing severe shortages of food, water, and healthcare, especially displaced people cut off from aid and basic services," the statement said. The group warned of a looming health crisis, citing unburied bodies across the city amid ongoing insecurity, and urged international organizations to establish safe corridors for civilians fleeing the conflict.

The Coordination of Resistance Committees in El Fasher, another volunteer group, confirmed the deaths and reported a sharp deterioration in humanitarian conditions, citing ongoing shelling, the collapse of basic services, and the shutdown of most charity kitchens amid funding shortfalls and rising prices.

On Thursday, the Sudan Doctors Network, a non-governmental organization, reported 23 deaths from malnutrition among children and women in El Fasher during the month. In July, the group said 239 children had died in the city since January due to shortages of food and medicine.

Violent clashes have been ongoing in El Fasher since May 2024, between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and allied forces on one side and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the other, with fighting intensifying in recent days.

Sudan remains gripped by a broader conflict between the SAF and RSF, which erupted in April 2023. The fighting has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions, deepening the country's humanitarian crisis.  ■